Caged Canary
by AmazonTurk
Summary: Companion piece to MysticSpiritus' fics 'Sephiroth's Honor' and 'Honorable Mentions'. One of the guardians has a...problem.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Greetings, oh lover's of fanfiction! I am borrowing with permission the AU of MysticSpiritus, the author formerly known as mysticjc1. This is a companion piece to 'Sephiroth's Honor' and 'Honorable Mentions'. Definitely check those stories out. Oh my gods, I mean seriously good stuff! Anyway, my dear friend Mystic gave me the go ahead to write this little guy up, so, here you have it! She writes in my timeline, I write in hers, we both write in dantesdarkqueens, she writes in ours...it's a crazy little threesome we got going on, but dam is the sex good. Seriously. We write it pretty well. (get your minds outta the gutters) Okay, on with the fic!_**

**_Disclaimer: I seriously own nothing. At all. Squeenix owns the characters, Mystic owns the AU. Oh, but I do own Kandi. She is MY OC._**

* * *

Kandi hummed to herself as she stuffed the rest of her double-chocolate chip almond muffin from StarGils into her mouth, washing it down with a generous swig of her white chocolate mocha. Mornings were awesome. Waking from at least an eight hour fast from food to find a world filled with freshly baked muffins, bagels, eggs, bacon, jam, orange juice and coffee, all just waiting to be consumed by her. Breakfast ruled. And it was the most important meal of the day. Of course, lunch was equally as important, as well as dinner. And one must not forget brunch and afternoon tea. And then, of course, there was the midnight snack, depending on how heavy dinner had been. She grinned. She loved food. 

Tossing her muffin wrapper into an approaching trash can, she continued on her way back to the Shrine, sipping her coffee. For some reason, it tasted ten times better today. Perhaps it was because the morning was crisp and her breath hung in the air around her that made the coffee taste so much better. Cold weather always made hot stuff taste better. She entered the Shrine and made her way back to her room to brush her teeth before starting her day. She still had some field tests to complete with Captain Leonhart and he had asked her to come by today. Kandi smiled as she wet her toothbrush and placed a healthy amount of toothpaste on the bristels. Squall was hot. And he was great in bed. She hoped they could repeat the 'exercise' they had done in Division 8.

And then, of course, there was Kuja, that sexy silver wizard. Gods, she loved being a canary in his cage.

And Rude...well, it was a good thing he didn't know about Squall yet. And he thought that the only time she had slept with Kuja was when they had the impromptu threesome outside of Rhianna's office. Ignorance was bliss...and Rude was a very happy man.

She giggled as she continued brushing her teeth, opening her mouth wide to reach her back teeth. Kandi's toothbrush hit her gag reflex and she coughed, panicing as she felt all of her super yummy breakfast come back up. She barely spun around fast enough to aim at the toliet, her stomach emptying quite violently. Straightening herself back up, she looked at herself in the mirror. "Strange," she said to her reflection. "That's never happened before."

Continuing with her brushing, she threw up...twice more. This wasn't normal. Maybe she was coming down with something. Maybe she got a bad muffin. Maybe the milk in her coffee was spoiled. Her mind suddenly flashed to a shot of a very pregnant Kairi and just barely pregnant Akalara.

Maybe _she _was pregnant.

She laughed at that, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Gasping, she stopped laughing and threw her toothbrush down, running out her bathroom door, out her room down the hall to Akalara's. She pounded on the door. "Green Girl, let me in!" she called.

Akalara opened the door, looking miserable. She could tell she had just been doing what she had been doing. "What?" Akalara asked groggily. "Can't you tell I'm throwing up?"

"I just did, too."

Akalara's cranberry red eyes widened. "No shit?" she asked, grabbing her arm and pulling her in. "You take a test?"

"No," she answered. "You got the other one from your two-pack still?"

"Cheap ass," Akalara mumbled leading the way to her bathroom.

"What? It's not like you're going to be using it anytime soon," Kandi defended. She snatched the test from Akalara and closed the door.

"Hey!" the green-haired woman exclaimed. "I was trying to puke."

"And I'm _trying _to piss on a stick!" came the reply. "Do you have any idea how difficult that is?"

"Not one fucking bit," Akalara grumbled.

Kandi finished her task and came back out, checking her watch. "Okay, five minutes," she said calmly sitting down on Akalara's bed.

"Have you told Rude yet?" Akalara asked.

She shook her head, raking her brain for the date of her last period. Since now and then, she had slept with all three men. Woo boy...this could be sticky. "He might not be the father," she said softly.

Akalara leaned back against her pillows. "Really?" she asked. "Who else could it be?"

Kandi gnawed at her fingernails. "Kuja...or Squall," she answered.

Akalara sat up quickly. "You fucked Squall?!" she shrieked. "You gods damn lucky BITCH! Was he good?"

"Oh hell yeah," she sighed. "You have no idea."

"Damn you," Akalara said, leaning back down and closing her eyes. "How much longer?"

Kandi checked her watch. "A minute and a half," she said.

"How do you feel?"

"Hungry."

"Well, that's normal, you human garbage disposal," she said rolling her eyes. "You feel sick?"

"No," Kandi replied truthfully. "I threw up after hitting my gag reflex with my toothbrush."

"Hmm, a toothbrush makes you hurl, but all the cock you suck doesn't?" Akalara teased.

"Ha fucking ha," she said, looking at her watch. "Time's up."

Kandi jumped up and went into the bathroom, Akalara right behind her. "Go on," Akalara said.

The non-pregnant at the moment woman stared at the stick before snatching it up and flipping it over. Akalara gasped. "Holy shit..."

"I'M PREGNANT?!" Kandi exclaimed in disbelief, dropping the stick like it was on fire. She screamed at the top of her lungs, Akalara covering her ears from the deafening sound.

"Holy hell, wake the whole damn Shrine why don't you?"

There was pounding coming from Akalara's room door. "Ak! Ak, you okay, Baby?"

Akalara opened the door and let Zack come in, followed by Reno and Rude. _Oh hell_, Kandi thought upon seeing her bald lover come in.

"We heard screaming; everything okay?" Zack asked. He looked at the pregnancy test lying on the floor and picked it up. He grinned. "Reaffirming?"

Akalara shook her head as Kandi paled and plopped down on the floor. Zack looked from one woman to the next, his handsome face breaking into a smile. "Kandi?!" he exclaimed. He turned to Rude and clapped him in a hug. "Congratulations, Man!"

Rude's face paled as he took the stick from Zack. "You-you're PREGNANT?" he asked in disbelief. "Seriously?"

Kandi glared up at him as he stared down at her. She jumped to her feet and grabbed the test out of his hand. "You know what?" she said hurt filling her voice. "There's a pretty damn good chance it's not yours anyway, so don't go getting all worked up over it yet. _I'm_ the only one whose a confirmed parent right now."

Rude removed his sunglasses and stared into her eyes. "What do you mean there's a chance it's not mine?" he asked lowly, just a hint of hurt in his voice. "You been sleeping around on me?"

"Kinda hard to cheat when there's nothing to cheat on, Rude," she retorted. She poked his chest. "_You're_ the one who wanted to keep us in a propetutal fuck buddy state. Well guess what? I got more than one fuck buddy."

Rude visibly reared at that. "Who?" he asked darkly, grabbing her shoulders firmly and shaking her slightly. "I want fucking names and I want them now."

Zack stepped in between Rude and Kandi. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, glaring at the larger man and easing him away from his red-streaked friend. "I think you need to calm down, Rude."

Rude's unshaded eyes pierced into Zack's and the black-haired man could see the anger and hurt expressed in his brown orbs. The bald man quickly put his sunglasses back on and stepped back. "Calm," he said eerily low. "If that's what you want. I'm calm."

With that, Rude turned and exited the room, storming down the hall. Reno winced through his teeth. "Dude," he said turning to Zack. "A calm Rude is a dangerous Rude."

* * *

Something was drawing him. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something was beckoning to him. And it excited him. Kuja felt every nerve ending in his body come alive in delicious anticipation as he followed the unknown source willingly, eager to find the core of this pull. 

He wanted it. He needed it. It wasn't necessarily a sexual feeling, but a possessive feeling. Something that belonged to him, that he had to claim. He quickened his pace, rounding a corner and moving into a quick trott.

He had to get to it! He had to quench this overwhelming feeling of desperation to find what called to him. It was close; oh, so close. He could almost taste it, smell it. Closing his eyes, he continued on, not caring if his blind path inconvenienced anyone. He would go where he was pulled; find what was his. Covet it, possess it, protect it.

Kuja stopped, his senses humming in over-stimulated euphoria. His eyes still clamped shut, he felt his knees hit the floor, his arms reaching out and pulling a soft, slim body closer to him. His cheek rested against a silk shirt. Fingers instantly lifted the fabric away and he pressed his lips to the warm, taunt skin beneath the silk.

This was his. What lay behind the veil of flesh was his. "Mine," he breathed out, pressing another kiss to the flesh. He opened his eyes, staring at a firm stomach. His eyes traveled up, looking at silk covered breasts and a confused countenance of a red-streaked canary. He grinned up at her, raising to his feet. Kuja grasped Kandi's face in his hands and kissed her possessively. One hand trailed to her stomach, his fingers tracing ancient patterns over the womb that housed what was his. Pulling away slightly, he grinned ferally at the startled woman, watching her through half-lidded eyes. His hand pressed more firmly, yet still gently over her belly. "Mine."

"What?" Kandi whispered, Akalara standing behind her and steadying her shoulders as she swayed dangerously.

"You carry within your womb the spawn of the Silver Wizard," Kuja told her lowly, a pleased smile covering his lips. "It called to me. It already knows it's father."

Kandi's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted, Kuja sweeping her up into his arms before she fell too far. The silver wizard turned and headed back down the hall to his room. "Where are you taking her?" Akalara asked, not wanting to leave her friend alone with the sexy wizard. The green-haired woman followed, placing her hand on his arm. "Kuja! Where are you taking her?"

"The mother of my child requires rest," he stated simply. "Fear not, I will see that no harm comes to her. She is precious to me now."

Akarlara continued following him until they reached his door and Kuja slammed it shut in her face with his foot. She pounded on the door. "Kuja!" she yelled. "Kuja! Let me in!"

No amount of knocking, pounding, clawing, scratching did any good. He had locked her out along with her noise. A sound barrier was firmly in place. Akalara did the only thing she could at the moment. She ran as fast as she could to Kagome's office.

* * *

Since Rhianna was still being held captive by Virgil, Kagome, the Lead Guardian, seemed to be bearing the brunt of rather tediuous disturbances. So, since one of her guardians had gotten herself knocked up, she found herself in her office staring at four people under her and Rhianna's command. Kandi, Rude, Kuja and Squall all sat or stood in her office, waiting further instruction. She looked toward Kandi, smiling gently. "You are pregnant?" she asked. 

Kandi nodded. "According to the pregnancy test I took, yes," she answered softly.

"I'll escort you down to the labs momentarily," she told her. "We'll confirm it there and also learn of the child's paternity. Are these the three candidates?"

"Yes."

"Any others?"

Kandi bit her anger back at the insinuation. "No, Lady Kagome," she nearly hissed out.

"Already hormonal," Kagome chuckled. "Very well. Kuja, you are not to attempt to abduct Kandi again."

Kuja was incredulous. "My lady," he protested. "I did not try to abduct her. I only wish to protect her and my child."

Rude cracked his neck.

"It could just as well be Squall's..."

Rude cracked his knuckles.

"...or Rude's," Kagome concluded, amused by the sense of jealously coming from the stoic bald man. She knew he had feelings for the woman in question, but she had no idea they ran as deep as what she was feeling from him.

Kagome stood and walked around her desk, extending her hand to Kandi. "Come along," she said, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. Kandi stood and looked behind her, studying the faces of the three men. Squall looked positively petrified and she giggled a little at that; Kuja smirked, confident the child was his; and Rude...looked hurt.

This sucked.

* * *

The results were back. 

She was in fact pregnant.

And the child she carried was Kuja's.

Squall had hugged her in his relief, only to be met with a fist to the face from Rude when he turned around. Kuja was not so lucky. When Rude was finished with Squall, he turned to the silver wizard, who stood his ground as the larger man proceeded to beat his face in.

"Stop it!" Kandi yelled, throwing a jar of tongue depressers at her bald lover.

Kuja stood to his feet, spitting blood out of his mouth. "I hope you feel better, Rude," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "You can beat me to your heart's desire, but it doesn't change the fact that Kandi is caring my spawn. You brought this upon yourself."

Rude reared back to hit him again, but stopped, his arm dropping to his side in defeat.

"Had you given your heart to her, your canary would have never chosen to flock in my cage," he continued. "She had every right to do as she did. Kandi came to me in her loneliness and I was more that willing to accomodate such a lovely guest."

Rude took off his sunglasses and flung them across the room in rage, smashing the expensive lenses against the wall. "I didn't think I had to _give _her my heart," he snarled, grabbing the silver wizard and tossing him to the ground. He turned his unshaded eyes to his lover, pain espressed so clearly in his deep brown gaze. "She already had it."

Kandi stared at him as he turned and walked wearily to the door. "Rude..."

"Let him go, Love," Kuja told her. "He is not worthy of you."

"Shut up, Kuja!" Kandi shrieked at him, leaping off the examination table and going to Rude. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his back. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Rude shook his head. "It's too late," he said lowly. "What's done is done."

"Rude, don't do this," she pleaded, tightening her grip on him.

"I didn't," he said harshly. "You did."

He unwrapped her arms around his middle and left, leaving her crying on her knees on the cold floor. Squall went to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing the top of her head for comfort. Kuja knelt beside her as well, allowing her to bury her face against his chest, her tears leaving hot trails down his skin. He had meant what he said. He would not let any harm come to her; not even from the man that loved her.

* * *

_**A/N: Not used to a lot of these characters. Sorry. Should be more soon! Review please! Tell me what ya think! If you want to flame me, go ahead. Fair warning...I bite. Hard.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: I have a feeling this fic isn't going to leave me alone. I hate when that happens. Oh well!_**

**_Disclaimer: Mystic owns the AU, Squeenix owns the majority of the characters, dantesdarkqueen owns Akalara, and I own the fuck-up Kandi. But she's my fuck-up, and I love her (pets Kandi)._**

**_Kandi: (draws gun) Get the fuck away from me!_**

**_Me: Isn't she the cutest?!_**

* * *

Kandi's hands were still shaking, even as she sipped the cup of green tea Squall had bought for her. He was sitting across the table, leaned back casually and watching her with concern expressed clearly on his face. She set the cup down on the saucer and buried her face in her hands, heaving a very heavy sigh. The SeeD captain reached across and took one of her hands, stroking her fingers gently. 

"Dumb question, but...you okay?" he ventured uncertainly.

She gave a very unladylike snort, more than likely to cover up a sob, and nodded. "Yeah...I'm okay," she said, running her hand over her nose in an attempt to wipe it. Squall belatedly handed her a napkin and she took it gratefully, wiping her hand on it and then her nose again. "I mean, I'm pregnant with Kuja's kid and Rude won't talk to me, thinking I betrayed him, but yeah, I'm swell."

"You're very good at sarcasm," he said with a grin.

"Ya think?"

Squall sighed and rolled his eyes. He was so not good at the comforting distressed women thing. "Listen, don't worry about it," he told her. "You said so yourself that Rude never made an attempt to solidify your relationship, right?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Yeah..."

"See?" he continued. "You don't belong to Rude. You had every right to sleep with Kuja...and with me," he added sheepishly.

The red-streaked guardian let out a much needed laugh. "I didn't have much choice with you, Cap'n," she said with a wink. "But I didn't mind at all. Just so you know. It was kinda...kinky. Safe rape's a fantasy for a lot of girls."

"Whatever."

"'Whatever'," Kandi mimicked. She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thanks for making me feel better, Squall. And not like such a...slut."

His eyes narrowed. "You're _not_ a slut," he said with a growl. "I can't stand that double standard. Guy sleeps with a bunch of girls, he's a stud. Girl sleeps with a bunch of guys, she's a slut. I say, if you're adult enough to fuck and you like to fuck then fuckin' fuck! Damn it!"

She threw her head back and laughed. "I'm gonna quote you on that," she said. "Make a big ass poster of it and keep it in my office. Your words will be immortalized." She sighed and sipped her tea again. "I guess I'm going to be in my office a lot for the next nine months or so. No more field duty for me."

"Can't risk the pregnancy, Kandi," Squall told her. He grinned. "At least you'll have company."

"Akalara?" she asked incredulously. "Okay, she's one of my best friends in all the damn worlds, but can you imagine the two of us pregnant and in the same room together for the next nine months?! Apocalypse anyone?"

"Good point."

"Uh, yeah!" she exclaimed. She looked around Midgar Bread Company and sighed. "I'm hungry."

Squall laughed. "What do you want?" he said, rising from his seat. "My treat."

Kandi never turned down free food. Ever. Ever, ever. "Portabello mushroom sandwich on rosemary faccia bread, extra mozzerella, no onions; a bowl of brocolli cheese soup and a Caesar salad with tons of crutons!" she said excitedly. "Please."

Squall blinked. "You aren't feeling nauseas at all, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head and grinned. "Just got sick this morning after brushing my teeth," she explained. Her face brighted. "And two pickles! I love their pickles."

Squall laughed and bent down to kiss her cheek. "You got it, Babe," he said sweetly. Kandi grinned happily at the prospect of food and turned her head when she heard the bell to the door ringing, waving madly at Zack and Akalara when they came into the restaurant.

"Hey guys!" she said, scooting over and making room for the two chairs Zack pulled up to her and Squall's table. She gave Akalara a sympathetic look. "You okay, Green Girl?"

Akalara looked green and rose from the seat she had just taken. "Excuse me," she murmured, heading to the bathroom.

Zack grimaced. "That'll be you soon enough," he told her with sympathy. "She's been sick since I knocked her up."

"I've not been," she said proudly. "Just this morning while brushing my teeth."

Zack paled. "Do me a favor?" he said. She nodded. "If you are one of those lucky one's that don't get sick, please don't tell her. She'll blame me."

"Can't make that promise, Zacky," she said with a grin. "I'll rub it in her green face!"

He laughed and looked up to where Squall was getting their food. "So," he said, gesturing to the SeeD captain. "Squall's the father?"

"Huh?" Kandi asked, looking over at her friend. "Oh! No. He's not. He's just keeping me company since Rude won't talk to me and I don't want to see Kuja right now."

Zack blinked. "So...who's the father?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Kuja."

"That's why Rude won't talk to you then, huh?" he asked, patting her hand.

She nodded. "Yep," she said. "Bald bastard thinks I cheated on him when he's the one who never wanted to upgrade our relationship."

"Did you want to?" he asked, tearing a napkin apart into little shreds. "You know, move up to a higher status?"

"Yeah," she said, sipping her now cold green tea. "I mean, I'm crazy about the guy. But, I figured, if he didn't want to commit to me, why should I commit to him? I was just acting within the boundaries of the relationship stipulations he had set for us."

Zack set back and studied the ceiling for a minute. "You know," he began. "Since he started seeing you, I don't think I've ever seen him go out with another girl."

Kandi's face went blank. "Had you ever seen me go out with another guy in that time?" she replied.

Zack chuckled and thought. "No," he gave in. "I never did. So, I guess that means he could have, too."

"Yep."

Squall plopped down next to Kandi and dished out their food, laying the majority of it in front of her. "I'm glad it's not my kid," he grumbled. "I couldn't afford to feed you for the entire gestation!"

Kandi grinned and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Cap'n," she said, biting into one of her pickles.

Akalara came out of the bathroom and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her friend, her now pregnant friend, eating. A lot. So much food. The green-haired woman glared at her red-streaked counterpart. "I hate you," she said as she ran back to the bathroom.

* * *

Lined bottles of liquor danced in the reflective lenses of his sunglasses as he tossed back another shot of whatever the hell the bartender was giving him. He'd lost count of how many he'd actually had. All he knew was that at this point, it wasn't enough. It still hurt. It still hurt bad. 

The barstool next to him suddenly became occupied and a few mumbled words were exchanged between the skinny red-head and the bartender. The next thing Rude knew, his shot glass had been substituted for a glass of clear liquid dancing over some ice cubes.

Dark shades turned to his partner and he sneered. "This had better be fucking vodka, Reno," he snarled.

"It's water, Buddy," his partner told him, taking out his pack of cigarettes and lighting one. He offered the pack to Rude. "I'm cuttin' you off, yo."

Rude took a proffered cigarette, swiping Reno's lighter to fire it up. "I was just getting started," he grumbled.

"Listen to you," Reno laughed sarcastically. "You're already shitfaced, forming what appears to be sentences consisting of more than three words. You've had enough, Partner."

Rude sipped the water, wincing as it slid down his burning throat. "Never enough," he said. "There will never be enough to forget."

Reno blew out a stream of smoke. "Whatcha tryin' to forget?" he asked. "Or you tryin' to forget someone, yo?"

"The kid's Kuja's, Reno," Rude growled. "Not mine. _That's_ what I'm trying to forget. My girlfriend got pregnant by some freak in a gods damned thong."

Reno scratched his nose and sipped his own non-alcoholic drink. He figured he'd better stay pretty damn sober for this. "Last time I checked, Buddy," he said cautiously. "She wasn't your girlfriend."

"When was the last time you saw me take home a girl that wasn't Kandi?" Rude asked, drinking his water again. "I've not been with anyone else since the first time I took her out."

"So, you were exclusive, but you failed to tell her this?" Reno asked. Rude's head whipped around. Reno threw his hands up in the air. "I'm just saying, Dude. I mean, let's face it; you're kinda being a girl about the whole thing. I think you should be thankful you aren't going to be saddled with some squalling brat like those fuckers Kuja and Zack. I mean, damn! Zack's younger than us and he's gonna be a dad. That's gotta fuckin' suck. Kuja will probably sacrifice the kid in some wizardy shit and summon a fuckin' rock from the sky to kill us all or something."

"Spawn," Rude spat out. "He's calling it his 'spawn'. How sick ass is that?"

Reno grinned. Time to play 'Rip On The Dude That Hurt Rude'. "Well, like you said, the assfuck wears a thong," he snorted out, pleased to see Rude's hint of a smile. "First time I saw the fucker, I though he was a chick or some really pretty dude in drag."

Rude chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah," he said, sipping his water.

One word sentences. He was getting better already. Reno grinned and nudged his partner in the shoulder. "You know, it doesn't mean you can't talk to her still," he said. "I mean, just 'cause she's having some fucktard's 'spawn' don't mean she doesn't want nothin' to do with you, you know? Have you talked to her since you found out?"

Rude just shook his head.

"Maybe ya ought to," Reno said, sipping his soda. "You know, if ya wanna. No skin off my ass if you do or don't."

Rude took another drink, clinking the ice against the glass.

"But...you know," Reno said with a ferral smile. "One good thing about fuckin' pregnant girls."

Rude raised an eyebrow at that.

Reno's grin widened. "You can't knock them up."

Rude stared at his friend, his own grin covering his face. "Reno?"

"Yeah?"

Rude raised his glass to his friend. "You're a world class idiot," he said.

Reno tapped Rude's glass. "And you wouldn't have me any other way."

"That is true."

Reno lit another cigarette, offering Rude another one. The bald man shook his head. "So, you're really nuts about this chick, huh?" he asked, placing his lighter back in his pocket. "I've never seen you drink over a member of the fairer sex before."

"Just something about her, I guess."

"Why didn't you ever tell her?" Reno asked, flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette. "I mean, I know you're a man of very little words, but Jesus, how hard is it to tell some chick you don't just wanna fuck around anymore?"

"I guess...I didn't want her to get her hopes up," Rude said. "Gwen and Seph just got married; Akalara and Zack are having a baby and getting married. Timing was bad."

"So, you didn't want her to think it was a step closer to a marriage proposal?" Reno asked. Rude nodded. "Damn. I never knew you were so chicken shit, Man."

"Watch it, Red," came the answering snarl.

"Sorry, but seriously, Dude," Reno continued bravely. "Kandi's a smart girl. You tell her something, she'll take it at face value. She wouldn't have expected a little ring just because he friends were getting them. The girl ain't like that."

"And you know her so well?" Rude scoffed.

"Well, yeah," Reno defended. "She's fuckin' my best friend.. Of course I'd know her well. Turns out, she's one of my best friend's, too. She's cool people, Man. Real cool."

Rude just stared at his glass.

"And hot."

"Watch it."

Reno grinned and slapped his shoulder. "Don't fuck this up, Rude," he said sympathetically. "You dig the girl. Hell, I'd even venture to say you love her, but I'd fuckin' get a black eye in the next breath. But I think you know you do. And I also think you know that Kuja is going to be asstastically possessive over her now that she's incubating his 'spawn'."

Rude squeezed the glass in his hand, causing little spiders to break into the crystal where his fingers were pressing in.

Reno smirked. He had him. "I also know," he continued, taking a ridiuculously frustratingly long drag off his cigarette. "That you dig a challenge. And what's more satisfying then getting back the girl you want and beating the fucker that tried to take her in the first place? 'Cause you know what?"

Rude glanced at him over the tops of his sunglasses.

"She digs you, too," Reno smirked, satisfied with himself. "I see the way she looks at you. Girl practically drowns in her own drool when she spies on you sparring with someone."

Rude cocked an eyebrow and the corner of his lips twitched into a half-grin.

"Yeah, she spies," Reno chuckled. "Like I said, she digs ya."

Rude pushed his glass of ice away and rose to his feet, tossing some gil on the bar.

"Where ya going?" Reno asked, spinning around in his barstool.

"Home," was the reply. "I...got some things to think about."

Reno nodded. "Aight, see ya, Man," he said watching as his partner exited the smoky bar. He grinned. Meddling was fun.

* * *

**_A/N: I love Reno. He makes me so happy!_**

**_Reno: (smirk) You have no idea how happy I can make you._**

**_Me: (blink) Okay!_**

**_Review! Are you guys liking this? I'm having fun writing it! Let me know!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: He's not fawning over her...but...well...they're friends, okay? This is how I acted with my friends when I was single. And my gay ones now that I'm married. (waves) Hi Ennie!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the increasing urgency to go pee. TMI? Yeah...thought so. (evil grin)_**

* * *

The red-streaked guardian sat cross-legged on her bed as she studied the spell book, running her fingers over the ancient symbols that decorated the worn leather cover. She had cleaned it to the best of her ability, shining and polishing the silver knots and links as well as trying to restore the leather binding with some oil she had borrowed from Squall. Kandi sighed as she tried the lock again, unable to open it without the necessary key. Of course, when she won the book at the auction, she hadn't thought it would need a key to be opened. Nine-hundred and fifty gil for a birthday present that couldn't even be used. Perhaps Kuja would still like it anyway. She sat it in a box amidst some tissue paper and began wrapping it, hoping the silver wizard would appreciate the sentiment. 

Since finding out that Kuja was the father of her child, Kandi had been avoiding the powerful mage, unsure of what she was going to say to him. Kuja had made a few attempts to see her, but was, for the most part, respecting her privacy and giving her the space she needed. Plus, it helped to have a few...distractions. Lady Rhianna's kidnapping, Gwen and Seph's deaths, Gwen and Seph's amazing resurrection from the Lifestream, Rhianna being found safe, Vergil being a good half-demon and Gwen being pregnant, too. Oh yes, the wife of General Sephiroth was preggers as well. Now, the Shrine had three very tempermental, very strong, very powerful women to contend with for nine months. Kandi snickered to herself as she finished wrapping Kuja's birthday present. This was going to be an interesting year.

Rude still hadn't talked to her.

It had been nearly two weeks and he'd not said five words to her. Towards anyone else, that would be normal behavior for him; but she wasn't anyone else. She sighed again and slipped on her skater shoes, grabbing the black and silver decorated gift and a plate of homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. She supposed...Rude was just someone she worked with now. Nothing more.

Nothing more.

* * *

Kuja studied his reflection in the mirror with a scrutinizing eye. No wrinkles...yet. No need to zap any gray hairs since his hair was silver anyway. He turned, this way and that, trying to see if he looked...older. He was still slim, still fit; the muscles underneath his smooth skin were still taunt and firm, though not bulky. Convinced he hadn't morphed into a decrepid old man over night, he finished dressing, opting for a pair of black jeans and a white button up. 

It was his birthday. He'd been given the day off and he planned on enjoying himself. Plus, he was getting rather irritated that a certain immature red-head kept making lewd remarks regarding his choice of wizard attire. His costume was perfectly acceptable for mages of his power and influence in his division. Rhianna, however, had suggested that he try wearing clothes that would be considered normal, so he was willing to try. And he reluctantly admitted, the normal attire was more comfortable and didn't require as much time or effort in putting on. Plus, he looked good.

Now, to think of how he wanted to spend his day off. He really didn't want to stay by himself, but he didn't want to 'hang out' with the miscreants of the Shrine either. What he wanted to do was talk to the mother of his child, but he had been told, quite forcibly by Squall and Zack to leave her alone until she was ready to see him. When a SeeD captain and a SOLDIER First Class make such a request, one tends to listen. Squall had become close to her after their assignment to Division 8 and Zack had been one of her best friends for longer than he'd known her, so their protectiveness was warranted. Kuja sighed. Perhaps he'd go shopping and buy himself a birthday present.

Suddenly, his ears started ringing and the beating of his heart sped up. Kandi was near. He could sense his spawn's presence. Resisting the urge to yank the door opened and tear down the hall to find her, he waited, knowing she would pass by soon and leave him to his misery. The ringing grew louder and louder, excitement and joy filling him. Moving slowly, he pressed his ear against the door, his fingers resting on the wood, trying to reach through and touch what was about to pass by. The movement of his spawn stopped and he drew back as a hesitant knock resounded against his door.

Kandi had stopped. She was right outside his room, on the other side of his door.

Kuja tore the door opened and stared at the red-streaked guardian in shock. Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down, taking in his appearance. She gave him a stunning smile and held out a plate of cookies and a gift to him.

"Happy Birthday, Kuja," she said genuinely.

Kuja blinked, a slow smile coming to his lips. "Thank you," he said softly taking the items from her. He stepped aside and gestured to her. "Would you...like to come in?"

Kandi nodded slowly. "I'd like that," she said sweetly. "Thank you."

Kuja continued to smile as he closed the door behind her. "Have a seat," he said kindly, setting the gift down on his dresser and unwrapping the plate of cookies. He offered her some and she readily accepted as she sat down in the arm chair next to his bed. His eyes sparkled with joy at her smile as he took a cookie for himself. "Did you make these?" he asked, taking a bite.

"Uh huh," she said, chewing thoroughly. "Improvised recipe. I don't like raisins. The remind me of little bugs. They have no place in cookies."

Kuja laughed and reached for another cookie. "They are very good," he said. "No one's ever made me baked goods for my birthday before. This is a first."

She grinned again, snatching another cookie. "I'm glad you like them," she told him sincerely. She gestured to the gift on his dresser. "Open it."

Kuja took the package and sat on his bed, drawing a leg up. He began unwrapping the gift, shocked when she moved and sat beside him on the bed. "You really didn't...have...to..." he trailed off as he lifted the tissue paper off the gift. His eyes lit up and he looked at her. "Where did you find this?"

"I bought it at the ShinRa Auction about a month ago," she told him, watching as he tenderly caressed the symbols and lock adorning the leather. "Do you like it?"

Kuja stared at her in disbelief. "Do you have any idea what this is?" he asked, excitement apparant on his face. She shook her head. "This is the spell book of one of the greatest wizards ever to grace any of the worlds! This is Merlin's spell book!"

Kandi's eyes widened. "No shit?" she asked, looking at it again. "Wow! Oh, that is so cool! I had no idea!"

Kuja examined the book, looking over it in awe. "I can't believe it's in such excellent condition," he murmured.

Kandi blushed. "Well, it wasn't," she said softly. Kuja looked at her in question. "Well, it kinda looked really crappy, so I polished up the silver and oiled the leather to make it look better. I wanted to give you something nice, you know?"

The silver wizard was moved. He reached out and stroked her cheek. "You went through so much trouble for me," he said, tracing his thumb over her bottom lip. "I don't deserve it."

She batted his hand away playfully and poked his nose. "You're my friend, Kuja," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I wanted you to have a happy birthday because I care about you."

He grinned seductively and kissed her hand. "Thank you," he said. "It's wonderful."

"There's just one catch," she said biting her lip. "I can't get it opened. They don't know where the key to the lock is."

Kuja threw his head back and laughed. "My dear little canary, this book cannot be opened with a physical key," he said, raising to his feet and holding the book in his palms. The book levetated from his hands and spun in a counter-clockwise fashion before the lock clicked and opened, settling down in it's new master's hands.

Kandi blinked. "Whoa," she breathed. She gave Kuja a crooked grin. "You are so cool."

The wizard grinned and sat down beside her again, thumbing through the book. "This is magnificent," he breathed out, scanning the spells the famous wizard had written down. "Absolutely magnificent."

The Turk beamed and threw her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him tightly. "I'm so glad you like it!" she squealed, bouncing excitedly.

Kuja turned and looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "I love it," he told her sincerely, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "I absolutely adore it."

He brushed his lips against her's gently in an imitation of a kiss. Kandi's eyes slid closed as she leaned into it, pressing their lips more firmly against each other. Kuja sighed contentedly and pulled back before the kiss could go deeper, smirking at Kandi's noise of disappointment.

"What are you doing today?" he asked, setting the spell book aside and drawing her into his lap. "Isn't today your day off as well?"

She nodded before snuggling against him, breathing in the scent that was so...Kuja. "Yeah," she said. "I don't have any plans, though."

Kuja kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "Would you care to spend the day with me?" he asked gently. "So I don't have to spend my birthday alone?"

Kandi looked up and grinned at him. "Really?" she asked in disbelief. "Isn't there someone else you'd rather hang out with? Or stalk? Rhianna's back, you know."

The silver wizard chuckled and rested his hand on her belly, feeling the lifeforce thriving in her womb. "I can think of no one else I'd rather be with than you and our child."

She pecked him on the lips. "Cool," she said, raising to her feet and extending her hand out to him. "But you do realize you're buying me lunch?"

Kuja took her hand and rose to his feet, running the fingers of his left hand through her hair. "Of course, little canary," he said gently. "I would love to."

He lifted her chin with his fingers and placed another sensual kiss to her lips. "Thank you," he said again.

She nodded and smiled. "You're welcome," she replied. "And Kuja?"

"Yes, my dear?"

Kandi blushed and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "Thank you for...what you have given _me_," she whispered.

His heart melted at that. She was happy. She was happy she was having their child. Bending down, he kissed the top of her head again, enveloping her in his arms. "My pleasure," he said with a smile.

Looping her arm through his, he escorted her out of his room and down the halls of the Shrine. They stopped to get her coat and then continued on their way, arm in arm. He bent down and kissed her cheek again, stroking her face and smiling as they exited the Shrine to head into town.

* * *

The closing Shrine doors reflected off the black lenses of the sunglasses that watched them exit into the street. The owner's head turned and stared at the tile of the floor, slowly making his way back down the hall, his black shoes noiselessly carrying him. He stopped at a trash can and tossed the roses he had been carrying away. 

There was no need for them now.

* * *

**_A/N: I...am a romantic SAP! So...much...angst! Review please!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Uh oh...Kuja's gonna get it (snicker, snicker)._**

**_Disclaimer: Only thing that is mine is Kandi. That's it. Nothing else._**

* * *

Rhianna glared at the silver wizard. The silver wizard who was wearing a black button up and a pair of distressed jeans. The silver wizard who looked like a model from Alberkrulie & Snitch. Rhianna's brain did the mental version of a record scratch as she caught herself and her thoughts. 

"Okay, where's the manipulate materia?" she hissed, reaching her hand out.

Kuja arched a silver eyebrow. "Last I recalled, my lady, it was still in your possession," he replied.

Rhianna paled as she remembered where she had hidden the manipulate materia and that the wizard was, in fact, correct. She narrowed her eyes at Kuja's smirk.

"Having dirty thoughts about me, are we, Lady Rhianna?" he purred.

"Shut it, Kuja," she snapped, kicking her feet back up on her desk. "I'm just not used to seeing you in civilian clothes. I must admit, they suit you."

Kuja inclined his head slightly, ever the polite gentleman. "Why thank you, my lady," he answered cordially. "As arousing as it may be that you are having...'thoughts' about me, you did call me in here for a specific reason, did you not?"

"I did," Rhianna said, narrowing her eyes again. "I can't believe that you were so irresponsible as to knock up one of my most promising guardians! I already had one out of commission with Akalara. And now that Gwendolyn is pregnant as well, Kandi makes a third guardian that I am going to have out on maternity leave in approximately eight more months! Plus, do you know how bad it's going to be with _those_ three pregnant and hormonal _at the same time_?! Do you have any clue of the cataclysmic disasters that await the Shrine with the mood swings that will be coming from those three? It is going to be unbearable!"

"My lady..."

"And Kandi already ate enough for two people as it was!" Rhianna continued. "Now that she is officially eating for two, it's going to be more like she's eating for four! And what if...oh blessed Mother help us! What if she has multiple births? That will just increase her nutritional intake by another two times. The Shrine will go bankrupt before the girls are in their second trimester!"

"Lady Rhia-"

"And then, of course, they will need to take off for doctor's appointments and such," she continued. "And if they aren't feeling well, I don't have the heart to force them to come into work. I remember what it was like to be pregnant. It was miserable." She rested her chin in her hands and smiled at him. "But it was truly a blessed time as well."

Kuja returned the smile. "I'm glad you thought so," he said. He bowed his head humbly. "Lady Rhianna, it was not my intention to impregnate Kandi when I copulated with her, I assure you. However, what's done is done. You know as well as I do that abortion is strickly forbidden by the Church."

"Of course," she replied with a nod.

"Neither Kandi nor myself even considered that an option," he confirmed. "And though I know you are incredibly upset at me for my lack of responsibility, I don't regret for a moment that Kandi is now carrying my spawn. She is a good woman and a dear friend. In lew of falling in love and marriage to a woman, I could ask for nothing more than the situation I have found myself inadvertantly placed in."

Rhianna blinked. "Come again?" she asked in disbelief. "You're actually happy you knocked her up?"

"Yes, my lady."

"What the hell...why?" she exclaimed. "You aren't married! You don't love her! It was a one night fuck!"

Kuja stood his ground. "Marriage is an institution that I have never cared for," he explained. "Love is a fickle emotion that is as highly overrated. And as for a one night fuck, it was a very...memorable one."

The Head Watcher leaned forward in her seat and studied the silver wizard. "So you don't intend to marry her?" she asked.

"No."

"You don't love her."

"No."

"Kuja, I demand that you do right by her!" Rhianna exclaimed. "I will not have a guardian who is a single mother raising a child alone in the Shrine! It just isn't done."

"She will not raise the child alone," he told her simply. "I am the child's father. I will be there every step of the way. I will be there for Kandi during this pregnancy and afterwards."

"But you won't marry her?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because she doesn't want it."

"She doesn't want it?"

"No."

"You asked her?"

"I offered to marry her, yes," he replied, his eyes twinkling at Rhianna's disbelief.

"What did she say?"

Kuja sighed. "Lady Rhianna," he said wearily. "If you wish to partake in female gossip, by all means, please wait until Kandi arrives. Though that is not something she eagerly participates in. She said 'no'. Kandi does not wish to be married."

"To you or to anyone?"

There was a soft knock on the door and the subject of their conversation eased in. Kandi smiled at Kuja brightly as she closed the door and walked in, taking a seat next to her lover. "Glad you're back, Rhianna."

Rhianna smiled. "Thank you," she replied. "And thank you for giving me something interesting to take care of now that I'm back."

Kandi laughed. "Fucked up situation, huh?" she said.

"Yeah, it is," Rhianna agreed. "Kuja tells me you won't marry him."

The Turk nodded her head. "That's right," she answered.

"You are carrying his child," Rhianna stated. "Why would you not want to marry him?"

"I'm not in love with him," she replied matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to marry the man who got me pregnant just because he got me pregnant."

"Akalara is," Rhianna interjected.

"Akalara and Zack are in love," she replied with a smile. "And I'm happy for them. However, Kuja and I are not."

Kuja arched an eyebrow at his boss, smirk still in place as if to say, 'Nah nah! Told ya!' Even though he would never resort in actually saying something so childish.

"Well, what about Squall?" Rhianna offered. "I mean, the child could have been his as well. Any feelings for him?"

"I adore Squall," Kandi said with a bright smile. "He is one of the coolest people I've ever met. But I'm not in love with him."

"Rude, then?"

Kandi flinched. "Rude and I aren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment," she explained, casting Kuja a grateful smile as he took her hand in his and stroked her fingers comfortingly.

Rhianna studied them. "You know, for a couple who claims they aren't in love, you sure do display the characteristics of one who is," she observed with a sly smile.

"My lady," Kuja began in a mocking tone. "Love is not absent in our relationship."

"Oh really?"

"Indeed," he continued. "We love and care about each other very much. But we are not _in_ love. It's really not that difficult of a concept to grasp."

Kandi covered her mouth with her free hand and snickered at Rhianna's dumbfounded look. "And besides, my lady," he ventured. "Even if we did get married, a room in the Shrine is hardly a suitable place to raise a family. With my passed deeds, I am required to maintain permanent residence here so that I may be under constant supervision. That's no life at all for a wife and child, now is it?"

Rhianna balked at that. Damn it, she hated when that sexy silver bastard was right! It made her blood boil. "So, then Kandi," she said, turning her attention back to the pregnant guardian. "What are you going to do? Be a single mother?"

"Yes," she answered.

"No marriage? To anyone?"

"Not unless I fall in love," she said. "And if I choose to marry, the man will have to accept the fact that Kuja is my child's father and that he will always be a part of my life and the baby's."

"Good luck with that," Rhianna mumbled. She studied them again. "Are you at least dating?"

"We've been spending more time together," Kuja told her. "We've been 'out' a few times."

Kandi's eyes widened and she checked her watch. "Oh shit!" she said, leaping up from her seat. "That reminds me! I actually have a date tonight!"

The look that crossed Kuja's face did not go unnoticed by the former belly-dancer. "Oh?" she asked nonchalantly. "With who?"

The guardian grinned as she freed her hand from Kuja's grasp. "Squall, actually," she answered with a slight blush. She came around and kissed Kuja's cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," he answered lowly, stroking her face tenderly. "Have a pleasant time."

"Thanks!" she said cheerfully as she left, waving at Rhianna as she went.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Rhianna rounded on Kuja. "Kuja, you're a fucking liar and if you don't tell me exactly what is going on, I will castrate you!"

Kuja paled and crossed his legs quickly. "I don't know what you are talking about, my lady," he said weakly.

Rhianna lept from her desk and grabbed a serated letter opener. She pointed it menacingly at Kuja. "I _saw_ that look you got when Kandi said she had a date," she explained as his eyes widened. "It was a mix between anger, jealousy and pain. You have feelings for her, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" he spat out glaring at her harshly. "The woman is carrying my child!"

Rhianna glared at him as she leaned back against her desk in front of him. "That's not the extent of it though," she said softly. "You are actually beginning to fall in love with her aren't you?"

Kuja rose from his seat and thrust his fingers through his silver locks. He turned back to her and she could see the answer in his eyes before he even voiced it.

"Yes."

* * *

The silver wizard lay in his bed waiting. He couldn't sense his child's presense, so he knew she wasn't back from her date yet. The clock on his nightstand flashed 11:32 p.m. Was she even coming back, or would she end up spending the night at the SeeD captain's apartment? The thought made his heart sink. He was doing exactly what Rude had done. By not telling her exactly how he felt, Rude had lost her. Kuja knew the bald Turk was still in love with his red-streaked canary; but he still failed to express it in words. Words are what Kandi needed. Actions spoke volumes, but words confirmed what she needed to know. 

A hum began to ring in his ears and he shot up off the bed. She was back? She was back! He went out his door ignoring the fact he was just in his pajama bottoms and walked down the hall to her room, the familiar feeling of bliss getting stronger as he neared his spawn growing in her womb. He stopped when he heard footsteps coming back down from her room. Peering around the corner, he watched as Squall made his way back to the exit of the Shrine. The captain had just dropped her off. He wasn't staying with her and she wasn't staying with him.

Kuja smiled as the man left and then continued on his way to her room. Standing in front of her door, he knocked softly, so as not to disturb anyone else. Her door opened slowly and she peeked out, her face lighting up when she saw him.

And that's when he knew.

He was in love.

"You know, this whole sensing the kid thing isn't really fair," she said with a laugh. "You always know where I'm at."

Kuja silenced her by taking her face in his hands tenderly and pressing his lips against hers in a searing kiss. Kandi gasped in surprise and Kuja took advantage, slipping his tongue passed her lips, deepening the kiss with slow, sensual strokes of his tongue against hers. Nimble fingers ran through silken tresses, igniting nerve endings beneath soft skin into a raging, oversensitized inferno of passion. Breaking his lips from hers to trail over her face, Kuja rested his head against hers, still tangling his fingers in her hair and breathing heavily.

"Kuja?" she whispered in question.

The silver wizard closed his eyes as foreign feelings engulfed him just by the sound of her voice saying his name. "I will not be a fool," he told her between clinched teeth. "You came to me because Rude failed to voice what needed to be said. I will not do that."

He stared into her eyes, foreheads still pressed together and fingers of his right hand interwined with those of her left. "I love you," he whispered out. "It happened so suddenly, it took me by surprise. But I do. I love you. I want you to be mine and no one else's. And I...want to be yours."

Kandi's lips turned up slowly into a smile, her eyelids drooping as she tilted her head to look up at him. "Wow," she said, nodding slowly. "All right, then."

Taking a shuddering breath, he eased her back into her room, shutting the door and locking it behind him. "Can you love me?" he asked lowly, trailing soft kisses down her neck. "Is it possible for you to perhaps someday feel what I feel for you?"

Head thrown back and neck arched, she trembled at his tender caresses. "Yes," she breathed out, eyes fluttering shut. "I think I can."

"Mmmm," he murmured, breathing in the scent of her assailing his nostrils as her arousal increased. "I shall find much pleasure in bringing you to that point, my little canary."

Whimpering in the back of her throat, Kandi brought his lips back to hers, her black lacquered nails trailing up his sides and skimming over his chest, scraping against his taunt nipples. Kuja hissed in pleasure into the kiss, slowly unbuttoning her shirt and flicking her pants open before pushing both garments from her body, his fingers brushing tenderly against her skin, removing the remainder of her clothing as she pushed down his silver sleeping pants, causing the silk to pool at his feet. Stepping out of his pants, Kuja turned her slowly, the fingers of his left hand ghosting over her stomach before resting firmly against it, pulling her back against his chest. Brushing her hair to the side, he trailed the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear before planting a trail of nips and kisses down her neck to her shoulder, biting down softly before sucking gently at the spot. She was trembling in his arms, watching their reflections in the mirror of her dresser. Kuja's left hand traced unknown symbols on her stomach as his right traveled down her arm, lacing their fingers together and bringing both of their hands up her stomach and over her breasts. Silver hair mixed with brown and red, cascading over her shoulders to brush across their hands with feather soft caresses. His left hand continued tracing, trailing lower and lower, until his long fingers brushed through her slick folds, his thumb caressing her clitoris languidly as his middle and index finger eased into her slowly. Gasping, Kandi felt her knees buckle as he continued with this and his ministrations on her neck, their twined hands massaging her breasts and his impressive erection pressing against her backside.

She felt herself being turned again, a full set of lips pressing against hers as her fingers were unraveled with his and his left hand moved to grasp her hip, matching the actions of his right. Effortlessly, the silver wizard lifted her body, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He positioned her in such a way, that when she slid down his body, she impaled herself slowly on his erection, her back arching as she felt his entire length ease into her. His lips never leaving hers, Kuja backed up to her bed, settling himself down on it with her is his lap.

And then he began to move. With a gasp, Kandi broke her lips away from his, clutching his shoulders as his hips undulated off the bed against hers with a skill she had never seen possessed by another man. Her back arched and her head thrown back, her hair spilling onto his thighs, Kuja thought she was the personification of sensuality. Bracing her back with his left hand, his right traced over her skin, following the route of the veins pumping her lifeforce to her heart. He carefully drew a pattern over each breast, ending with an accentuated mark on each erected nipple. The woman shuddered at his every touch, her breathing coming in rasping pants. Enveloping her in both arms, Kuja brought his lips to her neck again, tracing her veins once again and repeating the pattern his fingers had drew with the tip of his tongue, all the while maintaining a sensual and nearly painfully slow rhythm with his hips. He felt the muscles of her core contracting and knew that she was close, oh so close.

"Kuja," she panted out. "I..."

"I know," he said, nipping at her chin. "Come for me, my love. Breath my name in ecstacy."

Kandi lifted her head to stare into his eyes. His breath caught in his throat at the look in those deep brown orbs. "Come with me," she gasped out. "Please Kuja. Come with me."

Kuja's lips fell on hers again as he angled his hips and increased his rhythm, hitting something deep within her that sent her reeling over the edge. She sobbed with the intensity of her orgasm, her muscles pulling over him in exquiste silken heat. Kuja contracted his abdominal muscles to prolong his pending release, milking hers for all it was worth. After several long minutes, he released his muscles, allowing his essence to pour into her as her head once again fell back and a pleasured scream escaped her throat, his name falling from her lips as she shuddered in the after affects of her orgasm.

Breathing deeply, Kuja leaned back and arranged them comfortably on the bed, cradling her in his arms and tenderly caressing her damp face. It was then he realized the moisture coating her face was not just sweat, but a mix of tears.

"What is this?" he asked, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Have I upset you?"

She shook her head and continued to cry softly. "What have you done to me?" she whispered softly, lacing her fingers with his against her face. She looked up at him. "What did you just do?"

He smiled down at her softly. "Ah, I see," he said gently, continuing to caress her features. "Different, yes?"

She nodded. "Yes," she said. "No one's ever fucked me like..."

"That crude term is not suitable to describe what we just shared," he interrupted. He kissed her to ease the sting of his words. "Nor is sex. Making love isn't even appropriate."

Kandi blinked up at him, watching his features. "What was it then?" she whispered in question.

Kuja smiled gently, bring her hand to his lips. "Something that has yet to be named," he told her. "But it was beautiful, was it not?"

"Yes, it was."

He pulled her closer to him. "Sleep, my love," he coaxed gently. "Sleep."

Enveloped in the safety and warmth of his arms, she did just that. And it was a euphoric sleep, in which reality faded into dream with ease.

* * *

_**A/N: (winks) Hope you all like that. If you did, you have MysticSpiritus to thank for the suggestion for the insertion of the lemon. Give her thanks when you review.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: You ever have stories that you have mentally prepared one way but they end up writing themselves another way? Yeah...that's this story for me._**

**_Disclaimer: Still don't own. No pixelated penises in the near future. Sorry._**

* * *

Kandi grabbed Akalara's hand and dragged her into the gym. "Green Girl, it's actually recommended that we exercise," she told her with a grin. "Walking will help keep us in shape and it also helps to strengthen your pelvic muscles to make delivery easier." 

"I don't feel like it!" Akalara snapped, tugging back. "You've been trying to get me to do this for weeks! I've thrown up seven times already and it isn't even lunch time! Walking on a damned treadmill is going to make it worse."

"Could make it better," Kandi offered, handing her a bottle of water. "Come on. Try it for five minutes and if you still feel like shit, I will permit you to go back to your room and wallow in your self pity."

Akalara snatched the water and took a sip, grudingly following her friend to the hated machines. "I really, really hate you," she grumbled. "I can't believe you have only been sick that one time. That is so not fair."

Kandi giggled as she stepped onto her machine and began a fast walk. "I guess my baby loves me more than yours does," she teased. Akalara growled at her as she started a slow, sluggish pace. "I'm kidding! Jesus, you're a tempermental bitch when you're pregnant."

"And you are as perky and annoying as a Wutain ninja," Akalara snapped back, her eyes turning away from her friend to eye the other occupants of the gym. She grinned wickedly. "Well, well, well...if it isn't the cue ball in for a round of sparing."

Kandi flinched as she looked over at Rude, watching as he removed his shirt. God, she loved that tattoo that stretched across his upper arms and back. He used to lay on his stomach and just let her trace the outline of it to her heart's content. "Open gym, Ak," she said softly, sticking the buds of her iPod in her ears. "It's funny how often you run into someone you know, huh?"

"Sarcastic bitch," Akalara said, stopping her machine. "My five minutes is up. I'm going back to bed."

"Ak!" she hissed. "Get your ass back on that treadmill and give me half a mile at least!"

"Fuck off, you sadistic dictator," she grumbled, grabbing her bottle of water and walking away. "I'll start exercising when the need to vomit goes away. Until then, if you need me, I'll be in my bed. Ta."

Kandi rolled her eyes. "I'll check on you later," she called, easing her speed up to a steady jog. Nothing too jarring, but just enough to get her heart pumping a little more than the brisk walk. The view to the sparing mat, however, was already doing a good number on the beating of her heart.

Despite what may have happened between them, Kandi could not deny the fact that she was absolutely, positively sexually attracted to the big, bald, shirtless man grapling with his unfortunate opponent. Rude was built like a god. His arms were bigger than her thighs and rippled with the defined muscles he worked so hard to obtain and maintain. The muscles of his back flexed as he pushed his opponent to the ground, pinning him easily. And his chest. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his chest. Firm pectoral muscles, decorated with two silver rings on each nipple. And washboard abs didn't even begin to justify exactly what Rude had above the belt. And beneath it...well, the ears and the nipples were enough to prove the man liked piercings. But she was privy to the knowledge of some of his _other_ piercings.

She slowed her machine down to the steady walk again as she took a sip from her water bottle, placing the cool surface to her flushed cheeks. The exercise had little to do with the redness in her face. Kandi watched as Rude took a towel and tossed one to his opponent, wiping the sweat from his body. He glanced over her way and she saw him visibly stiffen at the sight of her. She sighed loudly, glancing down at her iPod and switching to a different song. It had been three weeks since Kuja had told her he was in love with her, and Rude had still not made any attempt to speak with her. Nothing was ever going to be the same with them. She had lost him as a lover...and a friend.

And that hurt.

Biting her lip, she glanced back at him, gasping in shock as she saw him walking toward her. He stopped in front of her machine, reaching for the iPod in her hand. He purused her song selection and stopped on one. She felt her heart stop as _U + Ur Hand_ by P!nk was replaced with _Far Away_ by Nickelback.

Rude removed his sunglasses and stared into her eyes as the lyrics filled her ears:

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know_

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll enver go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

_On my knees, I'll ask  
Last chance for one last dance  
'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us  
Give anything but I won't give up  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know_

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll enver go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

_So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
But you know, you know, you know_

_I wanted  
I wanted you to stay  
'Cause I needed  
I need to hear you say  
That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I forgive you  
For being away for far too long  
So keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore_

The song ended and Rude reached up and plucked her earbuds out of her ears, gently wiping the tears that had fallen unbidden from her eyes. Damn those hormones. He smiled slightly as he stroked her cheek. His touches were not as gentle as Kuja's, but they were so unmistakenly 'Rude', it warmed her heart.

"Hey."

"Hey," she whispered back.

"Can I...take you to lunch?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of her response.

She thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure," she said, stopping her machine and stepping off. "I'd like that."

* * *

Kandi entered the locker room and flipped out her cell phone, dialing a number that had become so familiar over the passed few weeks. 

"Hello, my red canary."

She smiled and giggled at his pet name for her. "Hey Kuja," she answered sweetly. "What're you doing?"

A heavy sigh. "Tedious work," he answered. "Lady Rhianna is still convinced I have more manipulate materia. I suppose she is having pleasant dreams about me on her own now."

Kandi laughed at that as she kicked her shoes off into her locker. "Ah, well, you do have a very sexy quality about you, you know," she told him in a low voice.

"I'm glad you think so," he said with a low chuckle. "What about you, my love? What are you doing?"

She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Actually, I was calling to let you know I'm going to lunch with someone," she told him softly.

Silence; then, "Oh? Who?"

Kandi bit her lip. "Rude, actually," she answered. "It's not a date; we just...well, this is the first time he's spoken to me since I found out I was pregnant, Kuja. We were friends before anything else, and I don't want to lose that."

He was quiet for a moment and she could almost visualize his brow furrowed in thought. "I understand, Love," he said and she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he, in fact, _did_ understand. "But you know you do not need to ask my permission."

She giggled. "I'm not asking permission, Kuja," she retorted. "I was giving you a courtsey call to let you know where I would be at since I am the incubating vessel of your 'spawn'. I didn't want you to freak if you couldn't sense the baby."

Kuja was indignant. "I'll have you know, I do _not_ 'freak'," he told her.

"Uh huh," she said rolling her eyes. "Whatever, Wizard Boy. Listen, I'll call you later. Are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course," he replied and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Have a pleasant luncheon, my love."

"Thanks, Kuja," she said. "Bye."

"Good-bye."

* * *

"I meant it, you know," Rude said as they sat down at a booth at Midgar Bread Company. 

"What?" she asked, taking a bite of her soup.

"The song," he explained. "The lyrics. Everything they said, that's how I feel about you."

She studied him, reaching up and removing his sunglasses off his face. "I hate those things," she told him. "You hide behind them and I don't like it."

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he said, taking her hand in his. "Come back to me."

"Rude," she said softly. "I was never _with_ you. I mean, you were clear in what you wanted, and that's what we had. We were fuck buddies. Nothing more."

"But the song," he exclaimed. "Don't those words mean anything?"

Kandi sighed and looked up at him. "You can't even say the words yourself, can you?" she asked. "You use a love song from a popular band to tell me how you feel."

Rude griped her hand tighter. "Kandi, can you honestly sit there and tell me that you never felt anything for me?" he asked, his eyes searching hers pleadingly. "We've been together for a long time. What does it matter if I use a song to tell you how I feel?"

"Because they're not your words," she told him. "How do I know you mean them?"

Dark brown eyes narrowed at her. "And I suppose Kuja can do better?" he spat out.

"Kuja has told me he loves me," she replied, staring at him. "We're actually together, Rude."

She watched the hand griping the table turn white in anger. "Do you love him?" he asked calmly.

Kandi shook her head. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I know I like him and I enjoy being with him. He makes me feel...special."

Rude released the table and ran a hand over his face. "And I didn't," he stated, looking at her with pain in his eyes. "I'm a complete ass for not telling you every day what you meant to me; what you still mean to me."

"Rude...don't..."

"I love you," he interrupted and she closed her eyes against the tears threatening her again. These hormones _really_ sucked. "I didn't tell you, because I thought that with everything happening with Gwen and Seph's wedding and Zack and Akalara having a baby and getting married, that you would want that. And I wasn't ready for that."

"You're still not."

"What I'm not ready for is to live my life without you by my side," he corrected. "I want you and no one else. You are the only girl for me. I love you, Kandi. Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me?"

Kandi turned her eyes back to his. "I don't..." she began, her voice wavering. "I don't...I don't know!"

She lept from her chair and grabbed her jacket, pulling it on. "I have to go," she said. "I can't deal with this right now."

Rude stood up and grasped her shoulders, pulling her to him. "Don't go," he murmured into her hair. "Please. Stay with me."

"Rude," she sobbed, pushing away from him. "Please, let me-"

His lips slammed into hers with bruising force, silencing her protests. Her knees went limp as she was enveloped in the familiar strength of his arms, his hard chest pressed firmly against her breasts, his mouth assaulting hers with the fiercness she would always associate with him.

She broke away and ran out the restaurant, reaching into her pocket and whipping out her cell phone. Dialing a different number, she sobbed into the phone. "Can you meet me somewhere? I need to talk to someone."

* * *

Squall studied the red-streaked guardian as she tore a paper napkin to shreds. He'd offer to buy her something to eat and she had declined, so he knew something was wrong with her. 

"Are you in love with me?" she asked.

The SeeD captain spewed his iced tea from his nose at her question. "Oh gods!" he gasped out, wiping his nose with a napkin. "Uh, no, can't say as I am."

Kandi heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said. She looked into his gray eyes. "Kuja is. We're together now."

"Great!" he said with genuine happiness. "I mean, if that's what you want, Babe."

"I don't know anymore!" she said, burying her hands in her hair. "Rude just told me he's in love with me, too!"

"Oh," he said, patting her head like she was an unset puppy. "That...sucks. What're you gonna do?"

Her forehead hit the table. "I don't know," came her muffled voice. "I mean, I'm having Kuja's baby."

"Yeah," Squall said. "But do you love him?"

"Yeah."

"Do you love Rude?"

"Yeah."

"You're fucked."

"Jesus, thanks Squall!" she said, glaring at his smirking face. He started chuckling softly at her glare. "This isn't funny, damn it. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Squall sipped his iced tea again, handing her the lemon when she gestured to it. He watched as she sprinkled salt on it, and began sucking on it, not even flinching. "I don't think I'm the one you need to be talking to about this, Babe," he said with a grin. "I mean, I'm not one of the bastards vying for your attention."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You took me out on a date a few weeks ago, remember?" she asked. "How is that not vying for my attention?"

"Is it so bad to want to take one of your hot friends out to dinner?" he asked suavely. "No strings attached?"

Kandi smiled and licked the lemon juice from her fingers. "I guess not," she said. Sighing, she brought his fingers to her face. "What am I going to do?"

Squall shrugged. "Well, you're with Kuja now, right?" he asked. She nodded. "You need to talk to him definitely. Or you could talk to Rhianna. Or Kagome. Akalara, Gwen, Zack, Reno-"

"NOT Reno," she interrupted. "He's a spazfuck and he's biased because he's Rude's best friend."

"True, but you still need to tell Kuja what you're feeling," he told her. "You gotta be honest with him, Babe. You owe him that much beings you guys are together and all."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "You're right. Damn it, I hate it when you're right, stupid rapist."

"Whatever," he laughed. "You liked it."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so what of it?" she teased. She reached over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for meeting me here. I needed someone to talk to and you made me feel better before."

"Hey, anytime, Babe," he told her with a grin, squeezing her hand. "I'll be here for you, anytime you need me, okay?"

"Thanks, Squall."

He studied her again, watching as the wheels turned in her head. "So...you gonna talk to Kuja?" he asked.

She nodded, chewing on her fingernails. "Yeah," she replied. "I'll talk to him."

* * *

**_A/N: Another chapter and I still don't know where this is going. However, if it keeps up in this direction...well...(grabs tissues)._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: So...much...angst!_**

**_Disclaimer: Still not mine._**

* * *

The steam rose from the cup of decaf coffee in her hand, trailing swirling gray plumes into the chilly evening air. She sipped the decaf white mocha from Stargils, the fingers of her free hand twined with those of her lover's. Kandi glanced over at the silver wizard, feeling her heart speed up just at the sight of him, just from his nearness. She couldn't deny the fact that she cared for Kuja deeply. He was so kind to her, so polite, so loving. He would call her just to tell her he loved her, but he didn't smother her with doting. By giving her the space she needed, he had drawn her in to where she craved every voicemail he left her, every small brush of his fingers against hers, every moment they spent together. 

And yet, there was a part of her that wished he was someone else.

"How was your luncheon with Rude today?" Kuja asked, breaking into her confused mind.

She shook her head. "Not that great," she said softly. They stopped and sat on a park bench, snuggled close together to ward off the cold.

"Did he upset you?" Kuja asked darkly, though calmly, something only he could do.

"Maybe a little," she replied turning to face him and drawing her legs up to sit cross legged on the bench. "But it could have just been hormones."

He reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and she couldn't stop the shiver that traveled up her spine at his touch. Kuja smirked at that and trailed his thumb over her bottom lip. "What did he say, Love?" he pried gently.

Kandi sighed and sipped her coffee nervously. "He told me...he loved me," she told him.

If Kuja was shocked, he didn't show it. "Better late than never, I suppose," he replied. "Do you love him in return, little canary?"

"I don't know, Kuja," she answered truthfully. "I'm really confused right now. I talked to Squall after I left Rude and he asked me the same thing. I told him I did. But I also told him I loved you, too."

Kuja smiled at that. "Nothing would bring me greater joy than for that to be true," he told her. "But it would mean nothing if you weren't completely sure of it."

"I know I love being with you," she said, taking his hand in hers. "Just like this or in other ways. You make me feel safe and loved."

"Because you are," he said, tilting her chin up and kissing her gently. He sighed as he stared down at her through half-lidded eyes. "I will always protect and love you. But I think, until you are sure about your feelings, that I need to let you go."

She looked up at that, shock apparent on her face. "What?" she asked. "Let me go? No, Kuja, I don't want that."

Kuja laughed softly. "My little canary," he said softly. "I will never be out of your life. We share a child. But I think, for the time being, that it would be best if we weren't together anymore."

Tears filled her eyes unbidden and once again she cursed her damn hormones. "But I..."

"Does that break your heart, Love?" he asked gently, stroking her hair soothingly.

"Yes," she sobbed, clutching at him. "I can't imagine not being with you."

He kissed her forehead tenderly, pulling her into his arms. "Then I think you already have the answer to the question in your heart," he whispered into her ear. "But to be sure, I release you from my cage, little canary. I love you too much to keep you against your will. If you love me enough, you will return to me. And I will be waiting there for you, with open arms."

Kandi's brow was furrowed as she blinked back her tears. She hated crying. She hated being weak. She hated being confused and she hated this.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Kuja asked gently.

She shook her head and a sat back up, looking at him. "No, I think I'd like to stay here for a bit," she answered softly. "I need to think."

"Will you be all right?" he asked with concern.

Kandi laughed at that. "I'm a Turk and a Guardian, Kuja," she said, pulling her jacket aside to reveal her firearm sitting in her shoulder holster. "What do you think?"

Kuja gave her a heart stopping smile. "I should have known better," he said, kissing her forehead. "Be careful, Love."

She watched him as he walked back toward the Shrine, her butt becoming numb on the cold park bench. But she didn't care. She had some shit to sort out and if sitting on a cold park bench in the cold winter air would do that, then by God, she was going to do it. But, conversely, if she was too damn cold to think, what good would that do?

Okay, shut up temperature gauge and brain functioning, activate. Let's start with the basics. She and Rude had been together for the better part of a year. They had first slept together after a rather viscious mission, where the blood had been ankle deep. That had been a necessary release for the adreneline built up in their bodies. And from that first time, it escalated. They had gone to each other whenever the urge for sex hit them; which, with them, was a frequent occurrence. But they had just been friends with benefits, nothing more.

Until recently. Kandi had begun to feel things for the bald assassin she had never felt before. But she kept her feelings to herself. Why? Because everytime she would try to talk to him about the future, he would shut down and tell her they had a good thing and not to ruin it. But how deepening a good thing into a better thing would be ruining it, still didn't make any sense to her.

And then Rude had left on a mission. She had been lonely and frustrated and miserable when opportunity came knocking. Kuja wanted to use her manipulate materia and Kandi, being the playful, flirtacious thing that she was, asked what she got out of it. Kuja had pulled her into his room with a smirk and gave her more than she bargained for. Not only did he give her the best sex she had ever had, he got her pregnant. Blushing, she giggled and placed her hand on her stomach lovingly. She was glad he had.

What would she have done had the baby been Rude's? The look on his face when he found out she was pregnant said enough about his feelings on the subject. He didn't want kids. He never had. Everytime the subject of children came up, he got this look on his face of pure disgust. He hated children. Reno, oddly enough, was the fatherly one out of the two of them. He would play with kids in the street, roughing them up and laughing with him. Kandi grinned at the thought of the red-head as a father. It wouldn't be a bad thing at all. He would be a great dad.

What if the baby had been Squall's? She laughed at the look he had on his face when he was called into Kagome's office and told his one time lover was pregnant. Of course his seed hadn't taken. She had already been pregnant. But Squall would have been an okay father. He was sweet and she adored him. He was fast becoming one of her best friends.

But Kuja, he was the right man for it. He loved her and was so tender and gentle, she had no doubt that he would be an excellent father. He knew it was his before she knew. Kuja and the baby already had a connection and she smiled at the memory of him on his knees before her, eyes closed tightly and lips ghosting over her stomach. That had been a wonderful sight and it warmed her heart to recall it.

Which was more than she could say about her ass, which was now so cold she couldn't feel it. She needed to get home soon, otherwise, she would become a Turk-cicle on a bench. She started when she felt someone slide in behind her, wrapping their arms around her tightly. She smiled as the familiar scent assailed her nostrils.

"Well, well, pretty pregnant girl's on park benches," the man said into her ear. "What will they think of next?"

She snuggled against his chest, trying to steal all of his warmth. "What are you doing out here, Zacky?" she asked against his coat. "Isn't it passed your bedtime?"

Zack kissed her forehead in a brotherly fashion and produced a bag of ice cream. "My beautiful fiance had a craving," he said. "So, me, being the doting husband to be that I am, braved the chill of night to get her what her heart and stomach desired."

"At least she's being able to eat now," she said, eyeing the ice cream hungrily.

Zack snatched it out of her reach. "This is too cold for you right now," he told her with a laugh. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped her up in his arms again. "Come on. I'll walk you home and get you something warm to drink, okay?"

"Sounds good," she said.

"What are you doing out here by yourself anyway?" he asked, stopping at a hot chocolate cart and getting her a steaming cup. She took it gratefully, revelling in the feel of the heat seeping into her numb fingers. "I thought you were out with Kuja."

"I was," she said. "But, we kinda broke up for a bit and he asked me if I wanted him to walk me home and I said no. I needed to think about some things."

Zack narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean you guys broke up?" he asked.

"Well, not technically," she corrected. "He let me go so I could figure some stuff out."

"Like?"

"Like my feelings for him and for Rude," she answered as they continued walking. Zack arched a black eyebrow at her. "Rude told me he loved me today."

"Oh, I see," Zack said, squeezing her against him tighter. "How's that make you feel?"

"Confused," she said. "I mean, he waited until I was pregnant with another guy's kid and the father of my child said the same thing. I almost feel like he thinks of me as a prize to win, you know?"

"Well, he is competitive," Zack told her. "You know that as well as anyone else. But what about Kuja? How do you feel about him?"

Kandi smiled as she thought of her silver wizard. "I like him," she said. "A lot."

Zack poked her nose and kissed her forehead. "Aw, my little girl is falling in love!" he said with a laugh. He stumbled a little as she shoved him, but regained his balance and hugged her. "Hey, for what it's worth...I'm glad."

"What? You like the freaky wizard who wears a thong?" she teased.

Zack took a deep breath and rubbed her arms briskly, helping to get the warmth back to them. "He treats you with respect," he said softly. He continued hestitantly. "Remember when we first found out you were pregnant and Rude grabbed you and shook you, demanding to know who else you had slept with?"

She lowered her eyes and nodded.

"That...got me," he said harshly. "I was actually scared of what he could do to you. Granted, he's never shown any abusive tendancies before, but you never know what could make him snap. And if or when he does, I don't want it to be against you, you know?"

"I don't think he would, Zack," she said. "I think he was just hurt."

He grunted. "You'd be surprised about the excuses guys make for hurting girls," he said. "A real man would never do that. I've never done that."

"Oh, and you're a real man, huh?" she teased.

"Damn straight," he said with his trademark grin. "And neither has Seph or Reno. Rude...shook you. And the look on his face was just...scary."

"Aw, is my little boy getting protective?" she asked with a smile.

"Over you, yeah," he said with a laugh. "You're the closest thing I have to a sister and I'll be damned if I let anyone hurt you."

Kandi hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Zacky," she said softly. "Thanks for always being my hero."

"Hey, no problem," he said with a peck to her forehead. He took her hand and led her into the warmth of the Shrine. "Now, get back to your room and get in bed. You need to get warm."

"Yes, Sir," she said, rolling her eyes. "Tell Ak I said I'm glad she's eating."

He beamed at that. "Okay!" he said cheerfully. "See ya!"

"Bye, Zacky."

* * *

**_A/N: I love Zack. He and my OC go way back. In this AU, they are best friends and have a brother/sister relationship. But they click so well together! And Kandi is happy that Zack is marrying Akalara. She gets all giddy over it._**

**_Kandi: I do NOT get giddy._**

**_Me: But you're happy._**

**_Kandi: Well, yeah...that's cos I love Zack and Ak and they are good for each other!_**

**_Me: You're giddy._**

**_Kandi (drawing gun): NOT GIDDY!_**

**_Me: Okay, okay...not giddy. Geez. (offers Twinkie as peace offering)_**

**_Kandi: (squeals and takes Twinkie) Thank you!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: I like dragons. Guess who I named her after! (evil smirk)_**

**_Disclaimer: Still not mine._**

* * *

It was really an odd thing to watch the horses of the different guardians graze around the silver dragon as if she were just a part of their group. Well, technically she was. Except instead of being about 16 hands high at most, she towered over them, her silver scales shimmering in the chilly winter air. Despite her fierce looks, she was actually a very gentle creature; beautiful and elegant, yet deadly if the need arose. 

Kandi sat on the edge of the fence of the corral, watching as Gwen and Sephiroth attempted to get a halter over the face the foal Gwen's horse had given birth to. The Turk had needed to escape the Shrine. Ever since they had lunch together, Rude had been pushing her to give him an answer. The more he pushed, the more she was convinced that he just wanted her as a prize. She sighed and turned her attention back to the general and his wife. Sephiroth was ordering his wife to stay back, telling her she had no place in the corral 'in her condition'. Gwen said it was his damn fault she was in this condition in the first place and to shut his damn mouth. Kandi giggled at the bickering of the parents of the Final Guardian. However, regardless of their banter, their love for each other was evident. Gwen yanked her husband's long hair, and the feared general turned his piercing gaze to her. Kandi burst into laughter at the sight, gasping as she lost her balance and started to tumble over the back of the fence.

_Oh God!_ she thought, flashes of her unborn baby going through her head.

Anticipating the hard ground at the end of her fall, she was surprised to feel herself being gently pushed back up. Her heart racing in her ears, she turned around carefully to see her savior. The silver scales of the tail that had caught her twinkled happily at her. Kandi looked at the face of the dragon as she brought her head around to rest on the fence beside the Turk. The dragon curled her body on the ground behind her, making a soft, low growling noise in the back of her throat.

"Thanks," Kandi told her, resting her hand on the dragon's snout. The dragon just blinked at her as if to say, 'Be more careful, silly human.'

The air was pierced with a shrill whistle and the gentle dragon lifted her head and turned, giving a loud roar. The sound was as beautiful as it was frightening, causing chills to run down her spine. She turned and looked in the same direction of the dragon, smiling when she saw the beast's master coming toward them. Kandi's heart sped up just at the sight of him. True to his word, Kuja had not completely shut himself out of her life, but it wasn't the same. He was still kind and polite, but she missed the intimacy of being with him. She simply missed him.

The silver and blue cloak he wore looked wonderful with his civilian clothes. He had incorporated aspects of his old attire with that of his new and it worked for him. She was glad he lost the thong, though. It would have totally frozen his ass in this cold weather.

A soft purring sound came from the dragon as Kuja stopped and ran his hands over her neck. "How is my beautiful girl today?" he crooned, stepping underneath her neck to stand beside Kandi.

The Turk grinned. "Are you talking to me or the dragon?" she asked playfully.

Kuja laughed. "Both actually," he said. He ran his hand over her face, staring into her eyes intently. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she answered. "Your dragon saved me from a rather nasty fall."

Panic flashed across his features as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What happened?" he asked.

"I lost my balance and was falling backwards and she caught me with her tail," she replied.

Kuja breathed a sigh of relief, lifting her down from the fence. He held her in his arms and stroked her hair and she could feel him trembling slightly. The wizard placed a hand on the dragon's neck and stroked her lovingly. "Good girl," he whispered to her and Kandi could have swore she saw the dragon smirk.

"I was worried that the baby-"

"The baby would have been fine," he interrupted. "A woman's body is designed to protect the baby. The womb acts as a safe bubble around the growing child, protecting it from jars and such. The fall wouldn't have been that far and the impact wouldn't have been that hard. But what if you would have landed on your neck and broke it?"

Kandi blinked. He was more concerned about her than the baby? "Kuja, I ..."

He sighed deeply, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm being overbearing, aren't I?" he asked. "I apologize. But just the thought of something happening to you..." He closed his eyes at the thought and shook his head. "Well, the important thing is that you and the baby are fine and my dear MysticQueen came to the rescue."

Kandi's lips curved into a slow smile. "Mystic...Queen?" she asked. "You named your dragon MysticQueen?"

Kuja arched an eyebrow. "Yes," he answered. "You're point being?"

She choked back her laughter and shook her head. "No point," she said with a strained voice. "Just seems like an odd name for a dragon."

He eyed her warily. "Are you laughing at my choice of name for her?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

The Turk burst into laughter. "You're a powerful wizard and you name your dragon MysticQueen?" she gasped out in between giggles.

"Yes," he said calmly. "It suits her."

"Explain," she laughed out.

"She's a mystical being and she is the queen among her race," he told her. "Hence the name."

Kandi snickered. "Sounds like a name for a fanfiction writer," she grinned. "Or something. Anyway, don't be mad at me for laughing."

Kuja chuckled and kissed her gently. "I could never be mad at your joy," he replied kindly. He gestured to the dragon. "Would you care to go for a ride?"

Her eyes widened. "Really?" she asked in excitement. "I mean, it's okay for the baby, right?"

"Of course," he said, helping her onto the dragon's back. He climbed on behind her, wrapping her safely in his arms. "It is safe for women to fly up until their third trimester."

"Yeah, on airplanes and flying machines," she said, squealing a little as the dragon shifted, standing to her full height. She gripped Kuja's arms tightly. "Wow, she's fucking tall!"

Kuja laughed and shifted so that she was sitting between his legs, her back pulled flush against his chest. He arranged his cloak so that it enveloped both of them in it's warmth. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. "Ready?"

She nodded and he let out a soft whistle. The dragon let out a loud roar and began working her wings, gaining altitude with each powerful thrust. Kandi peered over the side of the dragon, watching as the ground got further and further away. Gwen smiled up at her and Kandi gave her and Sephiroth an enthusiastic wave and a brilliant smile as the dragon flew away.

"Wow," the Turk breathed as they soared through the sky, Kuja's arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Are you afraid?" he asked trailing a finger down her face.

She shook her head and turned to face him, wide smile in place. "No," she answered truthfully. "I've never felt safer than I do in your arms. Nothing can touch me."

Kuja looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "Good," he said, leaning down to kiss her gently. He cupped her cheek in his hand, his right arm encircling her waist and holding her firmly. "I love you."

Kandi bit her lip, releasing her grip on his arm and bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. "I love you, too," she answered.

Kuja stared at her in shock, his grip on her tightenly slightly. She nodded her head and kissed him gently, softly saying against his lips, "I love you, Kuja."

The silver wizard's eyes closed and a contented smile splayed his lips as he held her close. All he had never known he wanted, all he had never known he needed, was right here in his arms.

* * *

Kandi couldn't help skipping just a little bit as she made her way back to her room. She wasn't a skipper. Granted, she was a fairly happy person with a great personality; but she didn't skip. Now, she was. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like such a fuck up. It always seemed like she screwed everything up. She was a natural klutz. She could trip over air and blow her knee out. Once, she had been hitting on a punching bag to get out some aggression from a mission and had fractured her left wrist. But right now, everything was great. She was _in love_ with a great guy and she was pregnant with their child. 

It had hit her like it had hit Kuja. Just out of no where, she looked at him and couldn't imagine not looking at him for the rest of her life. He was the one she pictured by her side when she was an old lady, holding her hand as they hobbled along with their canes. She giggled at that, figuring he wouldn't look much different with his silver hair. She was looking forward to finding out though.

Tomorrow, they were going to ask Rhianna what arrangements could be made so that they could move in together and set up a space for their baby. Perhaps, an exception could be made for Kuja's passed crimes since he was an expectant father. Surely, they would take into consideration all the good he had done. Kandi hoped so anyway. They needed a nice place to raise their child.

Grinning like an idiot, she opened the door to her room and stepped in, leaning against her door with a sigh. This was the first time in her life that she was genuinely happy.

"What a pretty smile."

She jumped a foot in the air when she heard the voice, turning and seeing the intruder sitting on her bed. "Rude," she breathed out in relief. "Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing here?"

He eased off her bed and walked over to her, trapping her between his body and the door. "Waiting for you," he said, his voice husky and his breath reeking of alcohol. "I've been waiting for a long time."

"Rude," she said calmly. "You've been drinking. I think you should go sleep it off, okay? You want me to call Reno and have him come get you?"

He trailed his fingers down her face, shaking his head. "No, I'll just sleep it off here," he told her, leaning in to kiss her. She turned her face and his lips missed hers, landing on her cheek. He pulled back, scowling at her. "Why'd ya do that? I just wanted to kiss you. Like I always do."

"You've never been this drunk before," she told him. She took his sunglasses off and placed them on his head, staring into his blood shot eyes. "Sweetie, I really think you need to get back to your room. You don't look so good."

Rage flashed in his eyes for a split second before he turned his gaze to the floor. "'Course I don't," he said. "You left me..."

"Rude..."

"...for that freak wizard!"

Kandi took a deep breath. She could handle him. They'd worked together for a long time and she knew him inside and out. But she had never, ever seen him this drunk. "Come on," she said, reaching for one of his hands. "You really need to sleep this off."

"No!" he said, yanking his arm away from her. "No. Not until you tell me what you decided."

"Rude, you need to sober up first," she said.

"I'm fine," he hissed. "I just need to know, one way or the other. Who did you pick? Me or him?"

Kandi pushed her bangs out of her face and looked him straight in the eyes. "Kuja," she told him softly. "I chose Kuja, Rude. I'm sorry."

The bald assassin buried his face in her shoulder and she could see him trembling. "Why?" he growled angrily. "Why him and not me?"

"Because," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. "I love him, Rude."

His head snapped up at that and he snarled at her. "No," he said lowly. "You don't. You just think you do."

"I'm having his baby, Rude," she said gently. "Nothing can change that."

He grabbed her throat in his left hand, not hard enough to hurt her but firm enough to keep her immobile. "One very well placed punch right here," he said, rubbing her stomach with his right hand. "Could change that very well."

Kandi's eyes widened. "Rude," she whispered, clutching at his hand around her throat. "Rude, stop it. You're really starting to freak me out."

His eyes were glazed over, sweat pouring off him. "But don't you see?" he asked hoarsely. "It's the only way. If I get rid of Kuja's precious 'spawn', he won't have a hold on you anymore. He won't want you anymore if there is no 'spawn'."

"Rude!" she gasped out, his grip on her throat tightening. "Stop it! You're hurting me!"

He kissed her lips fiercely, nipping at her bottom one harshly before drawing back. "Sorry, Babe," he growled. "It's gotta get worse 'fore it gets better."

Kandi watched with wide fearful eyes as he drew his right fist back and sent it forward with all his strength into her stomach, her breath knocked completely out of her and a horrible pain overtaking her senses. He released her throat and she collapsed on the ground, clutching her stomach as she began to vomit. Rude stared down at her, propped up against the wall.

"I love you," he whispered hoarsely before he lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Kandi was crying hysterically, clutching her stomach and praying her baby was okay. "Hang on," she panted, reaching into her pocket to find her cell phone. "Hang on, Baby. Come on. Stay with Mama."

She pulled out the device and hit Send, calling back the last person she had talked to on the phone.

"Hello?" came Squall's sleepy voice.

"Help me!" she shrieked into the phone, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Kandi?!" he shouted, instantly awake. "Oh my God, what is it?"

"Rude...attacked...the baby...Squall,...it hurts...so bad..."

He was already throwing on clothes and running out the door of his apartment. "Okay, okay," he said, trying to calm her down. "Where's Kuja?"

"His room..."

"Okay, I'll be right there," he said, revving the engine of his car. "Just hang on, Babe."

* * *

_There was blood._

_So much blood. Pouring out of her, trailing down her legs, pooling on the floor. She screamed in agony, pleading with him to help her, but he was powerless. He could do nothing but watch as their child was expelled from her body in a rush of crimson and echoing shrieks of pain._

Kuja sat bolt right up in bed, flinging the comforter off himself and rushing out his door. He sprinted all the way to her room, panic and fear humming through his body. His dream...it wasn't a nightmare; it was a vision. He bit back a cry of distress, desperately trying to reach out with his mind and his heart when he realized...

...he couldn't sense his child.

* * *

**_A/N: Evil authors and their evil cliffhangers._**


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: So...I take it a lot of you are not liking the bald man right now? ...yeah, thought so. I was actually gonna wait to post this til this weekend. But I decided to be nice and let you all release the breath you've been holding...maybe._**

**_Disclaimer: Still not mine._**

* * *

Kuja reached her unlocked door and pushed it open, crying out in horror as he saw her sprawled out on the floor, sobbing in pain, her open cell phone clutched in one hand, her other wrapped tightly around her stomach. He knelt down beside her, not wanting to move her, fearing hurting her further. 

"Oh God," he whispered, stroking her face as she continued crying, leaning down to kiss her gently. He reached for her cell phone, seeing it had connected to a number. The Shrine Medical Facility. "Oh, good girl, good girl," he murmured against her ear, running soothing fingers through her hair as she whimpered in pain, tears streaming down her face.

"Shrine Medical. How may I-"

"This is Kuja," he said sharply into the receiver. "I need an EMT team down to room 208 immediately. My girlfriend is pregnant and there is something wrong."

"...attacked..." she gasped out.

His eyes widened in horror as he relayed the message, hanging up shortly afterwards. The silver wizard leaned over her, trying to hold her but still not moving her. "Hang on, Kandi," he whispered into her hair. "Please. I'm with you now. I shouldn't have let you go."

She pressed her hands against her stomach, real fear in her eyes. "It hurts," she whispered sorrowfully. "It hurts, Kuja. So bad."

Kuja opened the flaps of her jacket and lift her shirt slightly to see the already horrible looking bruise forming on her abdomen. His face contorted in pain as he lay his head down to kiss her stomach, trying to send some of his energy to their child, praying that it held on with it's mother.

Running footsteps could be heard coming down the hall and Squall skidded to a stop in front of her door. "Kuja," he said in relief, kneeling down on Kandi's other side. "Did you call Medical yet?"

Kuja nodded, holding onto Kandi's hand and stroking her face soothing. "She was already dialing the number when I got here," he answered.

"How did you know?" the SeeD captain asked, letting his friend squeeze his hand in comfort. "I think she called me first."

Kuja looked down at his lover, wincing as more tears fell from her eyes. "I just knew," he said, not wanting to go into detail about his vision and worry her more than she already was.

A gurney was barrelling down the tile of the hallway, squeaks of sneakers echoing on the walls. Squall stepped out and flagged them in, standing out of the way as they loaded Kandi onto the thin mattress. They checked her vital signs, one of the EMT's pushing Kuja out of the way to get to her. Squall grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Let them handle it, Man," he said, trying to offer some comfort. "They know what they are doing."

Kuja nodded his head, swallowing hard as he watched the medical personnel work on his love. Squall noticed the unconscious person in the room and shifted his position to keep the man out of Kuja's line of vision. Once the EMT's had loaded Kandi up, Squall pushed the wizard forward. "Go," he ordered. "You need to be with her. I'll call Rhianna and the others and let them know. I'll meet you down there."

Kuja grasped his shoulder thankfully, following the gurney that held everything he held dear.

Squall watched him go then turned back into the dimly lit room, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed the number of the man he knew would want to know about this.

"Zack?"

* * *

Rhianna tore through the doors of the OR waiting room, looking for a head of silver hair. Kuja was sitting in a corner, barechested, barefooted, his hands thrust into his hair and he was weeping. Darryl motioned toward the wizard. 

"I'll go get us some coffee," he said gently. "This is going to be a long night."

Rhianna nodded and squeezed his hand before making her way over to the silver wizard. She knelt down before him, taking his hands out of his hair and grasping them. Kuja looked at her, his face covered in tears. Rhianna's heart broke at that. As annoying as Kuja was at times to her, he was still her friend, and she hated seeing him hurt. She took out her rosary and grasped it in both of their hands, bowing her head as she began praying.

Kuja simply wept the entire time she recited the rosary, chanting like a mantra the phrase, "Sins of the father; sins of the father; sins of the father." His passed deeds had done this to her. His attempt to destroy the world in Division 9 was what had brought this on her and their baby. Their child was to pay the price for his sins. It was his fault.

He had killed their baby and possibly the woman he loved.

They sat that way for what seemed like hours, not even realizing when Darryl had returned with the coffee. The mercenary sat down beside the wizard, watching his wife as she prayed with him for the lives of the guardian and their innocent baby.

Squall had told them what had happened to the best of his ability. He knew that Rude had attacked Kandi and now she was in the hospital. Squall, Zack, and Sephiroth had removed the bald Turk from Kandi's room to an undisclosed location. Reno had also been called and told what had happened. The red-head had been uncharacteristically quiet but agreed with whatever the men were going to do.

Darryl smirked and checked his watch. He'd give them another fifteen minutes and then he was calling Captain Leonhart back. He wasn't about to miss out on this.

The doors to the operating room opened and a nurse stepped out, venturing into the waiting room. "Lady Rhianna," she said softly.

Rhianna made the sign of the cross and stood up, looking at the nurse expectantly. "Yes?" she asked. Kuja looked up at the nurse as well.

"Are you the father?" she asked sadly.

Kuja nodded, fearing the worse.

The nurse nodded. "Well, there's no easy way to say this," she began. "Kandi is in surgery right now, otherwise the doctor would be out here explaining this to you. She explained to us that her 'ex' attacked her, sending a very sharp blow to her abdomen. The blow has detached the placenta of the fetus from the uteran wall, causing massive hemmorhaging in the mother. We only have a short window of time to work here otherwise we could lose both of them. The surgery will attempt to reconnect the placenta back to the uterus; but with the pregnancy only about 12 weeks along, there's only a ten percent chance it will take. Our main concern right now is the mother. She is losing blood rapidly. We've already given her one pint of blood, but we are running short."

"I'm O+," Kuja offered, standing up. "That's universal, right?"

The nurse smiled kindly. "Yes, sir, it is," she said. "Bless you. Kandi is B+, so if anyone you know has either B+ or O+ blood, please have them come in."

"Well, damn," Darryl said, rolling up his sleeve. "Stick a needle in me. I'm B+. Let's get that girl some blood."

Kuja cast Darryl a grateful look. "Thank you," he said hoarsely.

Darryl nodded, slapping his shoulder. "Come on," he said. "Let's go visit the resident vampire."

Looks like he wouldn't be able to get in on the fun after all. He and his blood were needed here.

* * *

Rude woke up to harsh bright lights and a pounding headache. He tried to move his arms to shed his eyes from the light, but he couldn't move them. They were tied at his sides. 

"Mornin'," came a familiar drawl.

"Reno?" he questioned. "God, where am I? What the hell did we do last night?"

"Well, let's see," Reno said, flicking out a cigarette and lighting it. "I was a good boy and stayed in, trying to catch up on some sleep. You, however, were very bad. You went out and got shitfaced drunk and committed a crime."

Rude chuckled. "Really?" he asked sarcastically. "What'd I do? Piss in a public area?"

"Try murder."

Rude turned and stared into the peridot eyes of Sephiroth. "Two counts, actually," he said calmly.

Rude's throat worked as he tried to remember last night's events. "Was I driving?" he asked lowly.

"No, you never left the Shrine," Squall told him. "You got drunk in your room and then committed your crime."

Rude racked his brain, trying to form some coherent thought. Kandi's face flashed in his head, lit by dim lights. His hand was around her throat. He paled slightly. "Oh God..."

"Do you remember now?" Zack hissed, leaning down to glare in his eyes. "Do you remember the feel of her stomach as you slammed your fist against it? You bruised her bad, Rude. She cried and cried, screaming in pain as the baby was wrenched from her womb, tearing her open. They couldn't get her to the hospital fast enough. She was in surgery for hours. The baby was dead within minutes. Something so tiny never stood a chance against someone like you. Does it make you feel like a big man, Rude? Killing something smaller than your pinky nail?!"

"Kandi..." he said, looking over at Reno. "Is she...?"

"Dead?" the red-head asked. "Yeah. She's gone, Pal. They couldn't pump the blood into her fast enough. Kuja and Darryl donated all they could, but they're only allowed to take a pint at a time. None of us matched her blood type. The only one who could have would have been you, but your blood/alcohol content was 2.5, so you're fucking worthless."

"She bled out," Sephiroth told him. "Slowly. That's the worst death a person can have. Imagine, feeling as your life's blood runs out of you bit by bit, draining, emptying and you are unable to stop it. You feel every precious drop leaving your body, each moment growing weaker and weaker, your heart beat getting slower and slower. When a soldier is wounded like that in battle, we do the humane thing and end it quickly by putting a bullet to their head or a sword through their heart. In a hospital, they simply let the person suffer since helping them out would be considered 'assisted suicide'."

"How...long did she...?"

"It took her four and a half hours to die," Reno stated bluntly. "And the entire time, she cried. She cried bitterly. She cried like she had just lost everything because she HAD, Rude!" Reno pointed his cigarette in his partner's face, tears filling his eyes. "How the fuck could you do that, Man? You claimed you loved her and then you do that shit? This is as much on my head as it is yours because I fuckin' told you to go after her, to fight for her. But I didn't know you would go fuckin' crazy, yo! I didn't know you would stoop so goddamn low as to kill a pregnant girl and her KID! Goddamn it, Rude! She was a fuckin' Turk, too! One of us! Family, Man. We fuckin' watch out for each other. We kill assholes for lesser shit than this. But this is big time, yo. You killed one of our own. You killed a co-worker, a friend, a sister."

"Fuck yeah," Zack growled.

Reno pulled out a revolver, emptying the six shells out of it. "Dude, you know I don't wanna do this," he hissed. "You know I love you like a brother. I looked up to you, Man! You were my fuckin' hero!" Rude listened as five of the bullets fell to the ground, still unable to see much due to the bright lights in his face. But he did see as Reno secured the one bullet in the revolver and spun the tumbler, flicking it back in place. "So, here's the deal," he continued, sniffing and wiping his eyes. "I got orders, yo. From the Bossman. A Turk who kills another Turk can't fuckin' be trusted, ya know?"

"Reno..."

"Especially one who kills one in cold blood," he seethed. He moved into Rude's line of vision, eyes red and puffy, face splotchy from his tears. He held the revolver up. "One bullet, six slots, three apiece," he said. He pointed the revolver to his head. "I go first."

_Click_.

"Then you."

_Click_.

"Then me."

_Click_.

"Then you."

_Click_.

"Then me."

_Click_.

Reno smirked, pointing the gun back at Rude's head. "That's five, Buddy," he said. "Guess you know what's in this chamber, huh?"

Rude swallowed thickly. "Reno, don't...please."

"Did you show mercy to Kandi when you killed her?" he shouted. "No! Then why the fuck should I show any to you?" He held the gun firmly to Rude's temple, pulling the hammer back and easing his finger on the trigger. "See ya in hell...Partner."

Rude squeezed his eyes shut as Reno pulled the trigger.

_Click_.

Rude opened his eyes to see Reno's face right in front of his, pained features harsh in the artificial light. "Didn't think we'd let you get off that easy, did ya?"

The bald man felt himself being moved, SOLDIER's hauling him up and placing him in an armed, barred vehicle. "Lock him up and keep him under heavy guard," Sephiroth ordered. "Give him nothing he could use to harm himself. No knives, glasses, porcelin, rope or cloth. Understood?"

"Sir!"

Reno pulled out another cigarette, lighting it with trembling hands. Zack pulled him into a hug, patting his back. "You did good, Re," he said comfortingly.

"I wasn't convinced you didn't _have_ the bullet in there," Squall told him. "These lights are fucked up."

"Turk interogation lights," Sephiroth said. "We use them in SOLDIER as well for interogating POW's."

Reno took a shaky drag. "It'd be better for him had I actually shot him," he said, trying to calm his anger and nerves. "Especially if Kandi does die."

"Let's just pray she doesn't," Zack said, grasping the cross attached to his SOLDIER ID tags. "Not for his sake, but for hers. And Kuja's."

"Right," Sephiroth said. "Well, back to the hospital, then? My wife is going to be pissed when she finds out what we did and she didn't get to join in."

Zack winced. "So is Akalara," he replied. "She was ready to insert and anal bomb up his ass and detonate it."

Squall paled. "Remind me to never piss off your woman, Zack," he said.

Zack laughed. "I keep trying to remind myself of that!" he said. He turned to his red-headed friend, who was picking up the shells from his revolver. "Come on, Re. Let's go."

Reno stuck the shells in his pocket, tossing his cigarette butt on the ground. "Yeah," he said, trotting after them. "Comin', yo."

* * *

_**A/N: No cliffy. Still evil. I like being evil.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: So, here is my dilema. I don't know if I want a sad ending or a happy ending. I guess we'll let the story decide. Oh, and we have a special guest appearance from one of my favorite men. See if you can guess who._**

**_Disclaimer: Still not mine._**

* * *

Kuja was numb. Not only in his body, but in his heart and soul. He wanted to feel, desperately, more than anything, he wanted to feel; but he simply couldn't. The prayers of Rhianna and Gwendolyn were falling on deaf ears, it seemed. God had deemed that he would be punished for his past deeds by taking that which now mattered most to him. No amount of intercession from the Head Watcher and her daughter would change that. 

Fiddling with the sleeve of the hoodie Gwendolyn had brought him, he waited. He was simply waiting for the doctor to come out and tell him that his lover and his child were gone. He hadn't sensed the baby since he and Kandi had parted for the evening and he had drifted off to sleep. Then, he woke from his vision and all was still. The distant hum he always heard when she was not far from him was gone and he hadn't heard it since; and he felt empty without it. Kuja closed his eyes in pain knowing that if Kandi made it through this, the emptiness she would feel without the child would be far worse than his own insignificant loss.

As bad as it sounded, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he could live without the baby. There could be other children; but the fact remained that there would never be another woman like Kandi. Not for him. Not ever. His infatuation with Rhianna had faded away, save for the occassional mutual flirtation. Her heart belonged to Darryl; just as Kuja's heart belonged to Kandi. He didn't want to think about life without her. He didn't want to live it. He wouldn't be able to now.

"Where the fuck have you been?!"

Kuja looked up, breaking from his daze as Akalara approached her fiance menacingly. "Don't you dare tell me you took care of it without me," she hissed.

"Just Phase I, Babe," Zack said, pulling her into his arms. "Seph put him in custody with a ton of SOLDIER's guarding him. He ain't going no where."

Kuja blinked. He did not understand what was going on. He glanced over at Squall in question and the SeeD captain made his way toward the wizard, sitting down beside him. "Guys," he interrupted. "Kuja don't know what went down. At all."

"Oh," Zack nodded in understanding, pulling Akalara over to sit near Kuja. He gestured to the Division 8 captain. "Go ahead, Squall."

Squall glared at the black haired man, but leaned foward in his seat and began talking anyway. "So, Kandi called me first," he said, glancing over at Kuja as he clutched his hands together. "I think it was because I was the last person she talked to on the phone and she just hit send when she was attacked." Kuja nodded in understanding, knowing that Kandi had been turning to Squall lately as a confidant of sorts. "Best I can tell, Rude was in her room when she got in. I don't know what happened, but she told me he attacked the baby and I rushed over there as soon as I could."

Kuja's eyes flashed in rage at this bit of information. "_Rude_...attacked her?" he asked quietly.

"He was unconscious on the floor when we were there, Kuja," Squall told him. "I didn't want you to see him because you needed to stay with Kandi."

Kuja looked over at Rhianna. "The nurse said her 'ex' hit her in the stomach," Kuja stated. "I was too concerned for her at the time to think anything of it. She meant Rude."

Rhianna nodded. "Yeah," she replied, clutching at her daughter's hand for comfort. "I still can't believe that he was capable of doing something so..._vile_."

"What did you guys do?" Gwendolyn asked harshly. "Tell me he is covered in gashes and burns all over his body and that various appendages are no longer attached to his person."

"We told him she and the baby died," Reno said quietly, speaking for the first time since coming in. "Then I told him I had orders from Tseng to kill him because Turks who kill other Turks can't be trusted. Played roulette with him to fuck with his mind. Last chamber was pointed to him. But there was nothing in it."

Kuja was breathing deeply, trying to control his rage. His eyes flashed with hatred and loathing. He wanted blood. He wanted to steal the life right out of Rude's body for the pain he had caused her and their family. Hatred pounded in his veins, his blooding rushing into a blazing inferno of anger. So easy it would be to crush the man with the power he had at his control; to watch as flames licked at his skin, melting the flesh from the bone. It was becoming too much, too quickly this hate. He covered his ears as they began humming with rage, so loud he couldn't hear himself think.

_Humming_.

He heard humming.

He heard humming!

Kuja lept from his seat, trying to calm his fury and ease the flow of blood rushing to his head. He closed his eyes, breathing steadily and listening. Waiting. Calmly. Patiently. There! There is was! He heard it, the same sound he heard everytime his child was near. It wasn't loud, but it was strong. And it was there.

"Kuja?" Rhianna asked in question, rising from her seat. "What is it?"

"I can sense the baby," he whispered, eyes still closed as he just basked in the sensation he had missed for several hours. Everyone was silent, watching the silver wizard intently.

Several minutes later, the doctor and the nurse from before came out into the waiting room, looking tired but relieved. "Kuja," the doctor said with a warm smile. The wizard opened his eyes and waited for the confirmation of what he already knew. "They made it."

Kuja's knees hit the ground as he wept in relief, vaguely aware of the cheers and tears of his friends surrounding him. He remained there for a few seconds befor he struggled back up to his feet. "Can I see her?" he asked. "Please."

The doctor nodded happily. "She's still in recovery, but she's not awake yet," he told him, placing a hand on the wizard's shoulder. "Perhaps your voice will bring her out of it quicker. I'll let you give her the good news, all right?"

Turning back to the rest of the group, the doctor gave an apologetic smile. "Just family for now," he explained. "I don't want her overwhelmed."

"Doctor," Kuja said with amusement. "They _are_ family."

"Ah, I see," the doctor replied warmly. "Well, just one at a time for now then. Nothing more until she gets stronger."

"You better hurry your ass up then, Kuja," Akalara threw at him as he followed the doctor down the hall. Kuja simply smiled at her. If he had his way, he wouldn't leave her side until he was taking her home.

The doctor gestured toward her door and Kuja eased in. He simply stared at her for a moment, taking in the sight of her breathing peacefully in sleep. He pulled a chair up beside her bed, staring down at her, still so relieved and thrilled she and their child were fine. Her stomach was bandaged from the surgery and there was a monitoring device attached to her beneath the bandages, hooked up to a screen. Kuja peered at the monitor, his hand grasping hers as he leaned closer to examine it. A slow smile spred across his face as he looked at the image on the screen.

"Our baby," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. He stood up and bent over her face, kissing her lips gently and brushing her hair out of her face.

The nurse came in, carrying a pitcher of water and a cup. She smiled at the wizard as she sat it down on the rolling tray. "She'll be thirsty when she wakes up," she told him softly. "Just let her sip it though. We'll bring her some food after she's up for a while."

Kuja nodded and voiced his thanks to the nurse, turning back to his love. He threaded his fingers gently through her hair. "Kandi," he whispered softly, trailing his fingers down his face now. "Can you hear me, little canary?"

She scrunched her nose and turned away from his touch. "Tickles," she mumbled sleepily.

Smiling, he took a lock of her hair and brushed it down her face, over her eyes, along her nose and over her lips. She giggled and opened her eyes. "That's mean," she said softly.

He kissed her again and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I apologize," he told her gently. "But I needed to hear your voice. Do you remember what happened?"

She looked at him in confusion for a moment, then at her surroundings. Her eyes began filling with tears and he knew that she did remember. "Kuja," she choked out, her free hand grasping at her stomach. "The baby..."

"Is fine," he whispered reassuringly, stroking his thumb over her cheek to ease the tears away. "You both are."

Tears of relief slid down her cheeks. Kandi tried to shift in her bed, but winced a little. "Probably shouldn't move, huh?" she asked softly. Kuja shook his head and eased her forward gently, propping her up with another pillow.

"Comfortable?" he asked. She nodded, smiling at him. "Are you thirsty?"

"Yes," she said instantly. Kuja poured her a glass of water and handed it to her with instructions to sip it only. Kandi rolled her eyes but did as she was told.

The silver wizard couldn't take his eyes off of her. Sliding onto the bed beside her, he pulled her gently into his arms, cradling her protectively against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, just relishing in the feel of her warm and alive against him. "I love you," he murmured, stroking her skin soothingly. "I thought...I had lost you. That feeling of hopelessness was so unbearable. Thinking I would never hold you in my arms again; never be able to kiss you or touch you again."

"Kuja?" Kandi said softly, snuggling against his chest and breathing in deeply. "Shut up."

Kuja chuckled and pulled her tighter against him, planting kisses anywhere his lips could reach. She sighed contentedly and smiled. "Much better," she said, lacing their fingers together and setting them on her stomach. She tilted her head slightly and kissed his lips. "I love you, Kuja," she whispered. "Can I go back to my cage now?"

"My little canary," he replied with a smile. "There is no need to keep you caged anymore. I released you and you came back. You are mine forever."

Kandi's lips turned up into a smile and her eyes twinkled with that spark he had fallen in love with. "Cool."

* * *

"I expected more from you." 

Rude winced at the cruel indifference directed toward him. He had only heard that tone of voice directed toward people whose lives were about to be taken. Fisting his hands together, he stifled a shudder as the Wutain's angular eyes peered down at him coldly.

"You were the last one I suspected capable of _this_."

Unnervingly calm was that voice. It was nearly soothing in it's lack of inflection. That characteristic was intentional, meant to lure the victim into a false sense of security before the inevitable struck. However, Rude had always been the one standing guard at the door behind the victim as Tseng interogated, waiting for the subtle indication that prompted him to move silently and snap their neck.

He had never been the one in the chair.

"I do not take kindly to any who hurt one of mine," Tseng stated calmly, adjusting his gloves and flicking a piece of lint off his immaculate suit. His eyes flashed dangerously, the only emotion displayed on porcelin features. "Especially not from someone within the organization."

"Sir-"

A quick, unseen backhand silenced Rude, blood filling his mouth from his busted lip. "You will not speak unless I grant you leave to do so," Tseng told him, still maintaining the calm, collected voice. He adjusted his tie and glanced at him. "You were well informed."

Rude spit the blood out of his mouth and quirked an eyebrow at his boss in question.

"Your self-assigned mission was an apparent success," Tseng continued. "And though I despise failure, I wish you would not have succeeded in this endeavor."

Rude remained silent, knowing Tseng would either proceed with his explaination or grant him permission to speak.

"My Turk is dead...as well as her unborn child."

Rude breathed out a ragged sigh. He was glad the baby was dead. But...he hadn't wanted Kandi harmed.

"You murdered a fetus and it's unarmed mother," Tseng said, unable to grasp the concept. He looked back at Rude, eyes narrowed. "Why in the hell would you do that? You have permission to speak."

Rude cleared his throat. "With all due respect, Sir," he hissed out. "You wouldn't understand."

Tseng glared at him, placing his hands on the table firmly. "Enlighten me," he snarled.

"The child...wasn't mine," Rude seethed, returning the glare. "It had no business in her body."

"So in order to remove it, you murdered it's mother as well," Tseng replied, cocking his head. "I suppose it must have been frustrating knowing another man's seed had created a life within the body of your current obsession."

"I'll fuck Elena and knock her up and you'll see how goddamn frustrating it is."

A right hook this time and a tooth bounced across the concrete floor. "You do and you will be praying to every god in every faith that your partner would have shot you," he promised with a low growl, his face inches from Rude's. Tseng straightened to his full height once again and smoothed his black hair into place. "As it is, your punishment will warrant a pleading session with at least the major dieties and their immediate subordinates." Tseng cast him a charming smile. "Though I doubt they will intervene."

"And what will my punishment be?" Rude asked quietly.

The charming smile turned into an evil smirk. "What indeed."

A clicking sound was heard and Rude turned slightly toward the door, watching as his former friends entered the room. He laughed bitterly. "So, I'm to be killed at the hands of my peers?" he asked harshly.

"Death is too good for you," Kuja stated as he moved to stand before the man who destroyed everything he loved, pain apparent on his features. "It would be too simple to let you die for your crimes. Besides," he said, waving his hand in the air and transforming the interogation room into a torture chamber, a wicked smile covering his face as Rude discovered he was now strapped to a table. "This will be much more enjoyable. Gwendolyn is quite the little sadist now."

Gwen smirked, unsheathing a dagger. Kuja stepped aside, bowing slightly and gesturing to the victim. "Ladies first, my dear" he said suavely.

Gwen inclined her head as she approached Rude. "I will make you bleed," she hissed, slowly carving patterns into his chest and arms. She wrote out 'Kandi' into his arm and 'murderer' over his heart. Rude winced with every slice of her blade, but refused to give her the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. Gwen wiped her dagger clean on his pants and sheethed it, turning to her green-haired friend. "You're turn, Ak."

Pure hatred shone in Akalara's eyes as she withdrew a small linked chain with several hooks on it. "I despise you," she seethed. "You hurt one of my best friends. You stole her from us." She started connecting the hooks to every single one of his earrings and both of his nipple rings. Cranberry red eyes glared down at the button of his pants and her lips turned up into an evil smile. She unfastened his pants and removed his member, fastening a hook to each piercing on his penis.

"You just make this too easy, Rude," she laughed, making sure his straps had him fastened down firmly.

Rude's eyes widened as she gave the chain an experimental tug. "Oh God," he whispered. "No, please..."

"Fuck you," she snarled, taking off at a dead run and pulling the chain harshly, ripping each piercing out of his flesh. Rude couldn't hold back a scream this time as he felt all fifteen of his rings and studs yanked out of his body, flesh ripping and burning in agony. Akalara smirked, satisfied at the sight of the trembling man before her. "Next."

Sephiroth stepped forward, arm outstretched as Masamune materialized into his hand. His black wing came out and he suspended himself into the air above the victim. He slid the seven foot long katana into Rude's flesh, in between each rib, not enough to do any damage to his internal organs, but enough to send searing pain throughout the Turk's body as the razor sharp blade sliced his flesh. Rude's blood slid off the blade with ease, not even needing to be wiped off before the weapon faded away. Sephiroth lowered himself until he was suspended directly above Rude. Deeming him unfit for words, Sephiroth simply spat in his face before returning to his previous position as voyeur.

Squall stepped forward, sending two shots from his gunblade at Rude's knees. He then spun and brought the blade down across Rude's face, leaving a gash extending from where his hairline would have been diagonally down to the underside of his chin. He then reared back and hit him in the face. "Fucking bastard," he hissed.

Zack was next. "I never had a sister," he said softly as he began unfastening Rude's restraints. "Not in blood, anyway. Always wanted one. She was it. And you killed her."

Rude collapsed to the ground, his injuries making it unable for him to stand. Zack kicked him in the bleeding ribs, breaking them with the force of the blow. He then proceeded to beat him with his bare hands, bloodying and bruising skin that had yet been marred by the others. When Rude was reduced to nothing but a bloodied, sobbing mess on the ground, Zack stopped. He knelt down in front of the man that he once called friend. "You will suffer here until you die and then you'll burn in hell for what you've done," he snarled, throwing him back against a wall.

Zack stepped away, rubbing his bruised knuckles and turned to Reno. The red-head hadn't been able to watch much of the torture and was silently wiping away his tears. "Re," Zack said softly. "You don't have to..."

"I want to," he whispered hoarsely, slowly making his way toward his former partner. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a simple silver ring.

Rude looked up at him, broken and openly weeping. "Reno," he forced out. "Please, Buddy. No more. No more."

Reno took Rude's left hand and slipped the ring onto his ring finger. "You chose your fate when you did what you did," Reno told him, unable to bring himself to repeat the lie that he'd killed Kandi and the baby. "This ring represents your marriage to your fate." He activated a small button on the ring, causing ten spikes to enter his finger, securing the ring in place. Rude cried out in agony. "You can never take it off unless you take the finger with it. But it will remind you, always." Reno wiped his eyes, with the back of his sleeve. "Sorry it came to this, Buddy; but it's your own damn fault. I'll remember you the way you were before, all right? But you shouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have."

Reno leaned forward and kissed Rude's bald head. "See ya...Partner," he said standing to leave. "Time for you to clock out."

Tseng gestured toward Kuja. "Care to finish this so we can get on with our lives?" he asked coldly.

Kuja inclined his head toward the Wutain. "Indeed," he stated darkly. He turned to Rude. "You will never forget what you did. You will never escape it. It will forever haunt you and I will personally see to that."

The silver wizard approached the broken man, grasping his head in his hands. "Memor usquequaque, sino intemporaliter!"

Rude's mouth dropped as a rushing wind rushed over him, sending him spiralling into a dark vortex. He clutched his head as he fell, seeing nothing but the woman he claimed to love screaming in pain as her child was expelled from her body and her own life taken from her slowly. She wept and screamed, mourning the loss of her child and her own impending demise. Then he watched her heart monitor flat line and nurses and doctors rushing to her, trying to prolong the inevitable he had caused. Then she died.

And then it replayed, over and over and over again. It was the only thing he saw. The only thing he could see.

This was his fate, to relive the pain and death of the woman he loved, her suffering caused by his own jealousy and his own hand. He was to be forgotten by all who knew him, only now a nameless prisoner in the dungeon of the Castle That Never Was.

Saix looked up distastefully as the pained screams of the man the Organization was now in charge of guarding reached Xemnas' study. "He is quite loud, Superior," he observed.

"I suggest you accustom yourself, VII," Xemnas stated, scribbling something down on a document. "His stay here is permanent."

"Has he a name? A number even?"

Xemnas smirked, a small smile playing on his lips. "No name, no number," he replied, rising from his seat. He lay his hand on Saix's shoulder. "_He_ is a true Nobody."

* * *

_**A/N: Epilogue next. Review please.**_


	10. Epilogue

**_A/N: So, obviously mixed ending. Kandi and the baby survived. HOORAY! Rude, bad man, go to jail, do not pass 'Go', do not collect 200 gil. BOO! I have a lot of angst to make up for, don't I? Let's see what I can do about that._**

**_Disclaimer: Dude. Seriously? Seriously?! (sighs) Still not mine._**

* * *

Rhianna stared at the couple in front of her then glanced over to Kagome. "What do you think?" she asked. 

"Your call, Rhianna," the Lead Guardian stated. "You are the one that encouraged the Shrine to pardon Kuja and make him a guardian. It's up to you."

Rhianna scowled at the worthless woman. "You're no help," she grumbled.

Kagome shrugged. "Then I'll leave," she said with a chuckle, exiting the office.

The Head Watcher looked once again at Kandi and Kuja. "Okay," she said, nodding her head. "You can move into the house on the Shrine property near the stables. It's clean and cozy, in excellent condition. It's yours..."

"Thank you, Rhianna!" Kandi exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"On one condition," Rhianna continued.

Kuja arched his eyebrow, somehow knowing what was coming next.

"You have to get married."

"Lady Rhianna," Kuja began in protest, knowing Kandi's stance on marriage.

"Okay!"

Kuja's jaw dropped. "What?" he nearly shrieked. He composed himself quickly, looking over at his beloved. "But, you refused before. Why would you want to get married now?"

Kandi rolled her eyes and grinned. "Because I'm in love with you now," she stated, touching his face softly. "Duh."

"Yeah, Kuja," Rhianna said with an evil smirk. "Duh."

The Silver Wizard glared at her, but it quickly left his face as a smile overtook it. "Duh, indeed," he chuckled to himself.

Kandi jumped up and grabbed his hand. "Come on!" she said excitedly. "I want to check out our house!"

Kuja followed her/was dragged by her out the door of Rhianna's office. The former bellydancer smirked, wiggling her fingers after them. "Dance, Puppets! Dance!"

* * *

"Wow!" Kandi exclaimed as they walked through the doors. She headed straight to her favorite room; the kitchen. "Damn, this is a big kitchen! Totally modern appliances and everything! Look at this stove! And the oven! I'm making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies everyday! And homemade bread and cakes and brownies..." 

"You're going to make me fat," Kuja chuckled, wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his hands on her stomach.

"Make me feel better about myself when the spawn starts growing," she answered with a grin, leaning her head back on his shoulder. "Will you still love me when I'm fat and pregnant?"

"I will love you when you're belly is so swollen with my child it is ready to burst," he whispered into her ear. "I will love you when you are old and gray. I will love you when you are angry and forcing me to sleep on the sofa. I will love you when you tell me to take my magical supplies out of the house because they don't match you're lace doilies."

Kandi cringed. "Kuja," she began. "Do I _look_ like a lace doily type of girl?"

Kuja glanced down at his beloved, eyeing her attire. She always had black lacquered nails, thick black eyeliner, black jewelry. Everytime they'd gone out on a date, she had wore a black lace choker with a cross charm on it. Her choice of color was always black or red. He smiled. "No," he answered. "You're very...gothic, aren't you?"

"Our stuff will mesh nicely," she said with a grin. "That's a fact."

"We mesh nicely," he said, turning her around and running his fingers through her hair before kissing her gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Perfect," she said. "I went and saw Yuna today and she said the baby and I are both doing really good."

"That's a relief," Kuja said, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"Kuja?" she asked softly.

"Yes, my little canary?"

She hesitated for a moment. "What happened to Rude?"

Kuja sighed, pulling her closer. "He's in a place where he will never harm you or anyone again," he told her. "Please, just leave it at that, all right?"

"He's not dead?"

"No, my love, he's not."

"I hate that this happened," she said. "Not that I'm pregnant with your child or that we're together now. But I hate what happened to him, you know?"

"I know," Kuja said tenderly. "I know."

A purring noise could be heard outside of their house and Kuja smiled. "She knows we're here," he chuckled.

Kandi grinned. "Can we go for a ride?" she asked enthusiastically.

Kuja thought for a moment. "A short one," he answered. "I don't want you over doing it."

Kandi saluted. "Yes, Sir," she giggled, leading the way out to the dragon.

They climbed on, Kuja settling Kandi between his legs and giving a soft whistle as MysticQueen began flapping her shimmering wings and taking to the air. Kuja fisted his hand and summoned an item from his room at the Shrine. Pulling his beloved closer, he slipped a ring on her left hand, the linked Celtic knots sparkling in all their silver glory. "Will you marry me?" he asked into her ear, already knowing her answer.

Kandi looked at the ring, smiling. She turned her head slightly and kissed his lips. "Of course," she answered with a smirk.

Kuja grinned down at her, pressing his forehead to hers. "Cool."

* * *

_Twenty years later, at The Castle That Never Was..._

It was gone.

No more screams of pain and agony from the woman he loved, no more blood, no more death. Silence. Beautiful silence.

Rude ran his hands over his once bald scalp, surprised to find a head full of hair. A razor or scissors had not touched his hair in two decades. Collapsing to the ground, he sobbed bitterly, finally having control over his thoughts again. And the first thing he thought of was Kandi. He had killed her. Even though the scene was gone, the guilt remained.

"Hello Rude."

Rude's head snapped up, eager to see the first human contact he had had in twenty years. His eyes fell on a slightly older Kuja accompanied by a young man in his late teens, early twenties, with silver hair...streaked red.

"Kuja," he said, his voice gravelly from being unused for so long.

"Silence is golden, is it not?" the Silver Wizard asked. He bowed slightly. "Pardon my manners," he said, gesturing to the young man. "This is Kujito; my son."

Rude stared at the young man, features decidedly like his father's, but eyes...like someone else. And the red streaks...

"The one you tried to kill."

Rude reared back, falling to the floor of the cell he'd been confined to for twenty years. "No," he whispered. "Kandi..."

"My mother is alive and well," Kujito answered. "Beautiful and planning my younger sister's wedding; I believe they are having luncheon right about now with the flourist."

Rude grasped at his heart, the scars of the word 'murderer' Gwendolyn carved into his flesh burning violently. "She's alive," he gasped out. "She's been alive this whole time?"

"Yes."

Rude began sobbing again. "Oh, thank God," he whispered. He scrambled over to the bars of his cell, grasping them and remaining on his knees. He bowed his head. "Forgive me; tell her I'm sorry. Forgive me, Kuja. Forgive me, Kujito. I could have been satisfied with simply being her friend, but I let my jealousy rule me. It cost me everything. Please, forgive me. I beg you."

Kuja looked to his son and smiled. "You are forgiven," the Silver Wizard said. "Rest now, Rude. You have suffered enough."

Rude collapsed to the ground, his heart filled with so much pain for so long finally giving out. He died a peaceful death, free finally from the torment that he had killed the one he loved.

All was forgiven. All was well. All was over.

* * *

**_Fin._**


	11. Outtake Reel

**_(screen fades from black to color, revealing the set of 'Caged Canary'; the director is sitting in her chair, shoving a muffin in her mouth and jamming to her iPod)_**

**_Camera Man: AT. Yo...AT._**

**_AmazonTurk (AT): (oblivious)_**

**_Camera Man: (throws stuffed moogle) AT! You're on!_**

**_AT: OH! (chokes on muffin and dies...AutoPhoenix activates) Whew! Good thing I remembered that today! (clears throat and takes out iPod buds) Hello. I'm AmazonTurk. You may remember me from such features as 'Sephiroth's Network', 'What Happens in Costa del Sol', 'Part of Life', 'Operation: Assassination' and more recently, the piece you just finished reading, 'Caged Canary'. (camera switches angles and AT is still focused on the first camera) I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the loyal people who have stuck through all of my idiocity, crazy imagination and in some cases, severe angst. (camera switches to first angle again and AT is once again in true focus) So, as a token of my thanks, I would like to present to you, my loyal viewers, this outtake reel from 'Caged Canary'. Enjoy._**

**_Camera Man: Good job, AT._**

**_AT: (grumbling) I hope these guys appreciate this. I mean, angst is really a good thing! Why do I have to do slapstick all the time...goddamn sons of..._**

**_Camera Man: Whoops! Camera's still on!_**

**_AT: Oh FU-!!_**

* * *

**_Outtake One:_**

"Have you told Rude yet?" Akalara asked.

She shook her head, raking her brain for the date of her last period. Since now and then, she had slept with all three men. Woo boy...this could be sticky. "He might not be the father," she said softly.

Akalara leaned back against her pillows. "Really?" she asked. "Who else could it be?"

Kandi gnawed at her fingernails. "Kuja...or Squall," she answered.

Akalara sat up quickly. "You fucked Squall?!" she shrieked. "You gods damn lucky BITCH! Was he good?"

"Oh hell yeah," she sighed. "You have no idea."

"Damn you," Akalara said, leaning back down and closing her eyes. "How much longer?"

Kandi checked her watch. "A minute and a half," she said.

"How do you feel?"

"Horny."

AT: CUT! Damn, Kandi, can't you do anything right? The line is 'hungry', not 'horny'.

Kandi: But...I'm not hungry. I am horny though. Can't I just go and have sex real fast? It'll make me feel better.

AT: NO! Just do the damn line right! Jesus, everyone else creates good OC's. I get a damn fuck up that is just a stupid damn...take it from Akalara saying 'Damn you.' ACTION!!

"Damn you," Akalara said, leaning back down and closing her eyes. "How much longer?"

Kandi checked her watch. "A minute and a half," she said.

"How do you feel?"

"Horny."

AT: GODSDAMN IT! (throws script down and destroys a set) What the hell?!

Kandi: I NEED SEX!

AT: Where's the Breast Boy?

(enter Reno)

Reno: Sup?

AT: (points at Kandi) Would you please go fuck her so she can get her line right?

Reno: (grinning) Sure thing, Bosslady. (grabs Kandi and drags her back around to Stage 69; loud moans, grunts, curses and a sheep can be heard)

AT: Someone bring me something dead and covered in chocolate!

(enter Reno and Kandi, slightly dissheveled)

Reno: All done.

AT: Take it from 'How do you feel'. ACTION.

"How do you feel?"

"Sullied and unusual."

AT: CUT! (storms over to Kandi) You got laid, what more do you want?

Kandi: A shower. There were barn yard animals involved.

AT: Take a shower. Be back in five minutes or we'll film the scene while your naked.

Kandi: I don't do nude scenes.

AT: Just GO!

(fifteen minutes later)

AT: You're late.

Kandi: You're ugly.

AT: You little...ACTION!!!

"How do you feel?"

"Hungry."

AT: THANK GOD!

Camera Man: Whoops. Sorry. Outta tape.

AT: (slits wrists and sobs) Take five.

* * *

**_Outtake Two:_**

This was his. What lay behind the veil of flesh was his. "Mine," he breathed out, pressing another kiss to the flesh. He opened his eyes, staring at a firm stomach. His eyes traveled up, looking at silk covered breasts and a confused countenance of a red-streaked canary. He grinned up at her, raising to his feet. Kuja grasped Kandi's face in his hands and kissed her possessively. One hand trailed to her stomach, his fingers tracing ancient patterns over the womb that housed what was his. Pulling away slightly, he grinned ferally at the startled woman, watching her through half-lidded eyes. His hand pressed more firmly, yet still gently over her belly. "Mine."

"What?" Kandi whispered, Akalara standing behind her and steadying her shoulders as she swayed dangerously.

"You carry within your womb the spawn of the Silver Wizard," Kuja told her lowly, a pleased smile covering his lips. "It called to me. It already knows it's father."

_She had dumps like a truck truck truck  
Thighs like what what what  
All night long  
Let me see that thong_

AT: (looking around stage as 'The Thong Song' plays) Where is that music coming from?

Reno: It's Kuja's theme song! It needs to be played everytime he makes an entrance. Like those guys on those wrestling shows. They all have entrance music. 'The Thong Song' is Kuja's!

Kandi: Cool! I want a song, too, Re! Pick one out for me!

Reno: Hang on a second...AH HA!

_I know a girl who's tough but sweet  
She's so fine, she can't be beat  
She's got everything that I desire  
Sets the summer sun on fire_

_I want candy  
I want candy  
I want candy  
I want candy_

Kandi: (scowling) I HATE that song! Pick something hardcore or I'll kick your ass!

AT: NO THEME SONGS! This is a feature, not a wrestling program! That stuff is fake anyway.

Collective: (gasps)

Rude: IT IS NOT!

Zack: You cannot tell me that when Bruiser McBallBruiser body slammed The Ultimate Partier off the top turn buckle that that didn't hurt! Were you there? WERE YOU, AT?!

AT: Well, no, but come on! Any highly intelligent person can clearly see that...(glances at crew and cast) Riiight. Xemnas, help me out here.

Xemnas: AT is correct. Wrestling is fake.

Squall: Ah, what does he know? He's a _Nobody_.

(Xemnas runs away crying)

AT: Ouch. No theme songs!

Reno: Kandi! How about this for AT's theme song?

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover  
I'm a child, I'm a mother  
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint  
I do not feel ashamed  
I'm your hell, I'm your dream  
I'm nothing in between  
You know you wouldn't want it any other way_

AT: RENO!!!!

* * *

_**Outtake Three:**_

Squall blinked. "You aren't feeling nauseas at all, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head and grinned. "Just got sick this morning after brushing my teeth," she explained. Her face brighted. "And two pickles! I love their pickles."

Squall laughed and bent down to kiss her cheek. "You got it, Babe," he said sweetly, moving to her lips and shoving his tongue down her throat.

AT: CUT! Squall, what the hell?

Squall: Why can't I kiss her like that? I fucked her too.

Kandi: I'm good with it! (pulling Squall back down to her)

AT: I'm surrounded by horny grapefruits.

* * *

**_Outtake Four:_**

Reno blew out a stream of smoke. "Whatcha tryin' to forget?" he asked. "Or you tryin' to forget someone, yo?"

"The kid's Kuja's, Reno," Rude growled. "Not mine. _That's_ what I'm trying to forget. My girlfriend got pregnant by some freak in a gods damned thong."

AT: CUT! Rude, that is NOT in the script! What the hell?

Rude: (lower lip trembling) Yes, it is.

AT: (slaps Rude) Don't back sass me!

Rude: (crying) I'm not! Look! (takes off running and crying to his dressing room)

AT: (looks over script) Damn. I did write that. Shit. Now he's going to be crying for hours. What a pussy.

Reno: You're not a very nice person.

AT: (slaps Reno) Shad up!

Reno: (purring) Do it again, Bosslady.

AT: (sweatdrop)

* * *

_**Outtake Five:**_

Kuja tore the door opened and stared at the red-streaked guardian in shock. Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down, taking in his appearance. She gave him a stunning smile and held out a plate of cookies and a gift to him.

"Happy Birthday, Kuja," she said genuinely.

(porn music blared into the scene; Kuja grabbed the gifts and the baked goods and tossed them aside, ripping Kandi's clothes off her body)

Kuja: I knew you'd come to me.

Kandi: Just fuck me with your magic wand, you powerful Silver Mage, you!

AT: What...the...FUCK?! THIS IS NOT A PORNO!

Reno (poking head over sound booth): It isn't? Damn, then what is this? (tosses script down to AT)

AT: (glaring at script, eye twitching) Reno, you revised this! 'Caged Canary' is NOT a porn!

Reno: Ah, come on. The title sounds very pornish. 'Caged'? I mean, seriously, yo.

AT: (shoots ball of fire at Reno) I hate you.

* * *

_**Outtake Six:**_

Rhianna blinked. "Come again?" she asked in disbelief. "You're actually happy you knocked her up?"

"Yes, my lady."

"What the hell...I'm sorry. What's my motivation again?"

AT: Kuja just knocked up one of your guardians and you're pissed.

Rhianna: Why though?

AT: Because two other guardians are knocked up as well.

Rhianna: Don't these people believe in birth control? Geez!

AT: No, they're Catholic.

Rude: I'm not.

Kandi: Me either.

Kuja: Nor I.

Akalara: Not me.

Squall: Nope.

Reno: Sorry.

Tseng: I worship Leviathan.

Xemnas: I am God. I don't need a religion.

Saix: I worship the Superior.

AT: For all intents and purposes YOU'RE ALL CATHOLIC! It's called acting, People! It's what you're paid to do. Where's my scotch?

* * *

_**Outtake Seven:**_

Head thrown back and neck arched, she trembled at his tender caresses. "Yes," she breathed out, eyes fluttering shut. "I think I can."

"Mmmm," he murmured, breathing in the scent of her assailing his nostrils as her arousal increased. "I shall find much pleasure in bringing you to that point, my little canary."

(porn music starts blaring through the speakers)

AT: (softly to Camera Man) Can we edit that out? I don't wanna fuck up the mojo.

Camera Man: No problem.

AT: (grins evilly up at the sound booth) Good.

Gasping, Kandi felt her knees buckle as he continued with this and his ministrations on her neck, their twined hands massaging her breasts and his...uh...his...his...

Kandi: (sighing) We have a problem.

AT: What now? It was going so good!

Kandi: Wizard Boy can't get his wand up.

Kuja: (blushing) I'm just a little nervous, is all.

Kandi: (flicking Kuja's limp dick) Nothing. Nada. Mr. Floppy right here, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Kuja: You're not very nice.

Kandi: (taking out riding crop and grinning in all her dominatrix glory) Would it help you get it up if I wasn't nice?

Kuja: (eyes wide) Yes, Mistress.

(Kandi proceeds to spank Kuja's ass)

Reno: cough PORN cough

AT: SHAD UP!

* * *

_**Outtake Eight:**_

She nodded. "Yes," she said. "No one's ever fucked me like..."

"That crude term is not suitable to describe what we just shared," he interrupted. He kissed her to ease the sting of his words. "Nor is sex. Making love isn't even appropriate."

Kandi blinked up at him, watching his features. "What was it then?" she whispered in question.

Reno: BONDAGE PORN!

AT: SHUT UP!

* * *

**_Outtake Nine:_**

Despite what may have happened between them, Kandi could not deny the fact that she was absolutely, positively sexually attracted to the big, bald, shirtless man grapling with his unfortunate opponent. Rude was built like a god. His arms were bigger than her thighs and rippled with the defined muscles he worked so hard to obtain and maintain. The muscles of his back flexed as he pushed his opponent to the ground, pinning him easily. And his chest. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his chest. Firm pectoral muscles, decorated with two silver rings on each nipple. And washboard abs didn't even begin to justify exactly what Rude had above the belt. And beneath it...well, the ears and the nipples were enough to prove the man liked piercings. But she was privy to the knowledge of some of his _other_ piercings.

Kandi: (flushed) Can we take about a fifteen to twenty minute break?

(hops off tread mill and grabs Rude, dragging him to Stage 69)

Rude: Mommy told me no one was supposed to touch me there!

Kandi: You can call me 'Mommy'!

(Rude's crying can be heard as he is molested by Kandi)

AT: (flipping out cell phone) Therapists R Us? Yeah, how fast can you get someone over here to AmazonTurk Productions?

* * *

_**Outtake Ten:**_

"True, but you still need to tell Kuja what you're feeling," he told her. "You gotta be honest with him, Babe. You owe him that much beings you guys are together and all."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "You're right. Damn it, I hate it when you're right, stupid rapist."

"Whatever," he laughed. "You liked it."

Squall: I have a problem with this scene.

AT: What's that?

Squall: Why would she become best friends with some dude that raped her? I mean, seriously. That's a little fucked up.

AT: Because if she wanted to stop it, she would have. She let it happen.

Kandi: Totally. It was hot sex. Remember from the Midgar Bread Company scene? Where I said safe rape was a fantasy for a lot of girls?

_Flashback:_

_The red-streaked guardian let out a much needed laugh. "I didn't have much choice with you, Cap'n," she said with a wink. "But I didn't mind at all. Just so you know. It was kinda...kinky. Safe rape's a fantasy for a lot of girls."_

Kandi: See. I did say that.

Squall: Oh. Okay then.

AT: ACTION!

* * *

**_Outtake Eleven:_**

"Aw, is my little boy getting protective?" she asked with a smile.

"Over you, yeah," he said with a laugh. "You're the closest thing I have to a sister and I'll be damned if I let anyone hurt you."

Kandi hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Zacky," she said softly. "Thanks for always being my hero."

"Hey, no problem," he said with a peck to her forehead. He took her hand and linked her arm through his, and they began skipping.

Kandi/Zack: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Schlemiel! Schlemazl! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!

('Making Our Dreams Come True' starts blaring through the speakers as Kandi and Zack run down the street to the Shrine)

AT: (tosses script down and digs flask out of back pocket of jeans)

* * *

_**Outtake Twelve:**_

Anticipating the hard ground at the end of her fall, she was surprised to feel herself being gently pushed back up. Her heart racing in her ears, she turned around carefully to see her savior. The silver scales of the tail that had caught her twinkled happily at her. Kandi looked at the face of the dragon as she brought her head around to rest on the fence beside the Turk. The dragon curled her body on the ground behind her, making a soft, low growling noise in the back of her throat.

"Thanks," Kandi told her, resting her hand on the dragon's snout. The dragon just blinked at her as if to say, 'Be more careful, silly human.'

The dragon let out a low rumbling noise and Kandi lept off the fence, holding her nose.

Kandi: Oh my God! Kuja! What do you feed that thing?!

Kuja: Dragon food!

Kandi: What does it consist of?

Kuja: Brussell sprouts, brocolli, cauliflower, and pinto beans. Why do you ask?

Kandi: I think this is the first time in my pregnancy that I will be sick.

AT: (sprays Linen and Sky Febreeze at the dragon) I hate my fucking job.

* * *

_**Outtake Thirteen:**_

"I'm having his baby, Rude," she said gently. "Nothing can change that."

He grabbed her throat in his left hand, not hard enough to hurt her but firm enough to keep her immobile. "One very well placed punch right here," he said, rubbing her stomach with his right hand. "Could change that very well."

Kandi: (giggling) That tickles.

Rude: (blushing) Sorry. I don't want to hurt you.

AT: (gets twinkly fangirl stars in eyes) AWWW! Isn't he cute? Fifteen minute break!

(AT grabs Rude and drags him to Stage 69; Rude cries as AT molests him)

* * *

**_Outtake Fourteen:_**

Kuja reached her unlocked door and pushed it open, crying out in horror as he saw her sprawled out on the floor, sobbing in pain, her open cell phone clutched in one hand, her other wrapped tightly around her thigh.

Kandi: OW! You fucking asshole! You slammed the door right into my leg!

Kuja: Maybe if you wouldn't have collasped in front of the DOOR!

Kandi: I collapse where I'm told to collapse! So fuck off, Limpy Wizard Staff Boy!

Rude: (chuckling in 'unconsciousness' in the dark corner of the room) That was funny.

Kuja: Shut up, Fetus Killer!

Rude: (cries)

Kuja: (feels bad) Sorry Rude. I know it's just your character.

Rude: (sniffs) Okay.

AT: (checks 'Help Wanted' ads)

* * *

**_Outtake Fifteen:_**

Saix looked up distastefully as the pained screams of the man the Organization was now in charge of guarding reached Xemnas' study. "He is quite loud, Superior," he observed.

"I suggest you accustom yourself, VII," Xemnas stated, scribbling something down on a document. "His stay here is permanent."

"Has he a name? A number even?"

Xemnas smirked, a small smile playing on his lips. "No name, no number," he replied, rising from his seat. He lay his hand on Saix's shoulder. "_He_ is a true Nobody."

AT: AND CUT! WOW! We got it done! Thank GOD!

Rude: (crying) I don't like this story! I'm a bad guy!

AT: Aw, but you're just acting, Sweetie. And if everyone believes it, it just means your a good actor. Okay?

Rude: (sniffing) Okay.

AT: You want a cookie?

Rude: (nodding)

AT: Okay. I have some right over here, in Stage 69.

(Rude follows; porn music drowns out Rude's crying as he is molested...again)

* * *

**_AT: That is it for our outtakes! Hope you enjoyed them. If not...bugger off!_**

**_Kuja: You really are not a nice person._**

**_AT: No. I'm an evil villain._**

**_Kuja: Really? So am I. I nearly destroyed an entire world. What have you done?_**

**_AT: I punched a Care Bear._**

**_Kuja: (gawking) I have seen the face of Satan. And it is YOU!_**

**_AT: (blushing) Flirt._**

**_(takes Kuja back to Stage 69 and molests him)_**


	12. Kujito's Question to AT

**_A/N: Why can't I just leave well enough alone?_**

**_Disclaimer: So not mine._**

* * *

(enter Kujito to sound stage) 

Kujito: Hey AT?

AT: (with mouthful of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie) Yesh, KOO HEE TOE?

Kujito: (brushing moist crumbs away) Hey, what's up with my name?

AT: (swallowing) Meh? Your name?

Kujito: Yeah. I mean, I get that I'm kinda named after Father with the first half. But what's up with the second half?

AT: (sweatdrops) You really should ask your parents, Dear.

Kujito: They told me to ask you. They said you named me. Plus, Mom is helping Father take off his twenty years older make up so we can be a soap opera family where the parents look just slightly older than the kids.

AT: Oh...uh...heh heh. Okay. So, uh...speaking of soap operas...what is your favorite one? I like 'Days of Our Lives' but right now, I could pull a better plot line outta my ass. How 'bout you?

Kujito (confused): Why don't you want to tell me about my name?

AT: Belle is such a slut!

Kujito: Who?

AT: Belle. She's married to Shawn but secretly wants Phillip which is exactly what she did when she was married to Phillip only opposite and she's a whore.

Kujito: Uh, I just really want to know where you got my name from.

(enter Kandi and Kuja, still young)

Kujito: Mom, Father...AT won't tell me about my name.

Kandi: Don't whine; you're twenty years old.

Kuja: Use your magic to extract the truth from her.

Kujito: (turns to AT with wicked smile) Very well.

AT: Oh shit! (is suspended in air) Kuja, I will get you for this!

Kuja: (smirking) Consider it payback for out evilling me, you terror of Care Bears.

Kandi: This is funny! (gasping and turning to Kuja) She hurt a Care Bear?!

Kuja: She punched one.

Kandi: (pointing) LUCIFER!

AT: (hissing)

Kujito: Enough of this nonsence. AT...my name. How did you come up with my name?

AT: I'll never tell!

Kujito: How did you come up with my name?

AT: (spitting at Kujito) Fuck you!

Kujito: HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH MY NAME?

AT: Damn, three times. Okay, I took the first part from Kuja's name, natch.

Kuja: Natch?

Kandi: Slang for naturally.

Kuja: Oh.

AT: And then, I had to incorporate something from your mom. But, let's face it, Kujandi sounds a little fucked up, right? Makes you sound like Ghandi our something.

Kujito: Okay...

AT: So, I started thinking, Kandi likes food, right?

Kandi: Uh huh!

AT: And what is Kandi's favorite food?

Kandi: Japanese!

AT: ...WHAT?! I thought I was Mexican!

Kandi: I like Mexican, but I will dump a taco over some sushi any damn day!

AT: ...Kujushi? (laughs hysterically) That would be gayer than Kujandi!

Kujito: Wait! I'm named after food?

AT: And your father.

Kuja: Natch.

Kujito: What food?

AT: A taquito.

Kujito: What the hell's a taquito?

AT: You know, one of those little...it's like a taco only...it's like a taco stick. You have the tortilla and you put in the meat and cheese and roll it up and deep fry it.

Kujito: So, I'm named after a portable heart attack?

AT: No! You're named after your father and a taquito! Oh...I get what you were doing there with the attempt at humor. Nice.

Kandi: My son is a Kuja taquito?

AT: Pretty much, yeah.

Kandi: (laughing) How CUTE!!!

AT: And he's gay.

All: WHAT?

Kuja: Since when?

AT: I just decided it.

Kujito: I don't...I'm gay? Really? I mean, I just showed up to say something about Mom and...oh, flowers.

AT: (nodding) Yeppers.

Kandi: My son is a bishie? My son is a BISHIE! Oh my god, are you seme or uke? (examing Kujito) Total uke.

Kujito: MOM!

Kandi: What? There's nothing wrong with taking it up the ass! Hell, I've done it.

Kujito: (covering ears) NOT LISTENING! LA LA LA LA!

Kandi: And your father is bi.

Kujito: (looks at Kuja) Really?

Kuja: (nodding) We had a threesome with the guy that tried to kill you.

Kujito: I think I just turned emo.

AT: (giving Kujito black eyeliner, nail polish and razor blades) Knock yourself out kid. Emo uke. How original. (rolls eyes)

Kujito: Uh, don't I have a say in this?

AT: What? You don't want to be gay?

Kujito: Not really.

AT: Oh. Any particular reason?

Kujito: (blushing) Well, I, uh, kinda like...her. (points to Zack and Akalara's daughter) She's really pretty and I really, really like her.

AT: (sighs) Fine. Figures, I try to produce a gay character from my fucked up OC and he turns out straight.

Kandi: (shrugs) You win some you lose some.

Kuja: I feel very violated right now.

Kujito: You think YOU do?

* * *

**_A/N: God, I hope I'm done now._**

**_A/N...The Sequel: I had to edit this. I forgot Kujito is to hook up with a particular female. (sigh) Oh well!_**


End file.
